800,000 referendum votes in already

Written By: - Date published: 7:46 am, December 3rd, 2013 - 41 comments
Categories: referendum - Tags:

John Key set us a challenge on the referendum: get more an a million ‘no’ votes. That would mean more votes against asset sales than National won in 2011 (1,058,636 to be precise). So far, so good. The Electoral Commission has processed 805,204 votes. Doubling that would be an outstanding result that would almost certainly mean a million ‘no’ votes (and more than the smacking referendum). Get your vote in now.

41 comments on “800,000 referendum votes in already ”

  1. David H 1

    I have not received my voting papers. Nor the replacement ones I asked for. So now what? I live in the Horowhenua has anyone else down here had the same problems?

    Edit: or can I just say Screw it, and vote at the Post Shop?

    [wait a day or two for the replacements and then call them. if still no luck, write to paper and MP. you can’t vote in person anywhere. JH]

    • karol 1.1

      Did you check that your address is correct in the latest electoral roll?

      • yeshe 1.1.1

        My address is correct on the roll. and I have received neither of the two replacement papers I have requested !!!! Getting mad about it now … but what a great result to see more than 800K already !!

        • weka 1.1.1.1

          I asked for census papers three times before I got any. Each time I called the call centre I got told a different story about where they could be sent and what information they needed to sent them. Fucking useless was the term that came to mind. It’s an increasing concern that the govt is now using the same standard of service in call centres as the rest of the bloody nation ie poorly trained and unable to think outside the box, or problem solve on the spot.

          My voting papers did turn up ok though. If I had asked more than once I’d be going to my MP or raising hell with the call centre managers. For something as serious as voting, it’s just not good enough.

    • Tracey 1.2

      Voting papers for the Citizens Initiated Referendum have now been posted to voters, and replacement voting papers are available for eligible voters who need them.

      “If you are on the electoral roll and have not received your voting papers, or if you spoilt, destroyed or lost them you can request replacement papers,” says Robert Peden, Chief Electoral Officer.

      “You can request replacement papers at http://www.elections.govt.nz. For more information about replacement papers, please call 0800 36 76 56 (from within New Zealand) or +64 9 909 4182 (from overseas),” says Mr Peden.

      Only people enrolled on the electoral roll by 21 November 2013 are eligible to vote in the referendum. If you were not enrolled by that date, the Electoral Commission can’t issue you a voting paper.

    • risildowgtn 1.3

      Friends who live out Himatangi Beach and Hokio Beach also havent received theirs… or the replacement ones….

      I suggest you go to NZPOST and let rip..

    • MrSmith 1.4

      Worrying DavidH, mine never turned up either yet all my others in the past have arrived, I requested replacements which I have sent back but how many others out there who couldn’t be bothered chasing them up.

  2. Lanthanide 2

    I’d say we’d be lucky to double the count, given the general sort of up-front surge for these sorts of things.

    Today’s count will be the best indicator I think, as it should catch the majority of ballots posted over the weekend.

    • karol 2.1

      The point of the post, though, is to urge as many people to vote as possible. Get out the (so far) non voters.

  3. Craig Y 3

    One does wonder whether the Right will try to deliberately return invalid or spoilt ballot papers, so what happens then?

    • Puckish Rogue 3.1

      Nothing because the assets have already been sold

      • One Anonymous Knucklehead 3.1.1

        What happens then? After the referendum?

        The sixth Labour government will have a mandate for compulsory reacquisition of our stuff. That’s what happens.

      • tricledrwown 3.1.2

        PR so when 90% of the ballot shows that people were against asset sales you don’t think that is going to have an effect on the popularity of the Key led minority govt.

      • framu 3.1.3

        What happens then? After the referendum?

        John key and every other moron who doesnt understand how an election works or what an election result means has their “but we have a mandate” argument turn to dust in their mouths.

        its achieves three distinct things

        1) a message to the govt and the opposition
        2) a message to all NZers
        3) it makes the nats look like fools

        • Draco T Bastard 3.1.3.1

          3) it makes the nats look like fools

          No, it makes them look like lying thieves.

          • framu 3.1.3.1.1

            well yes, that too

            i was more meaning their idiotic spin rather than their dodgy ideology

  4. Will@Welly 4

    Whoever drew up the actual question was very sneaky, as even with the result going against Key, he will claim it was a victory.
    What we need to do in future is make these referendums binding. And that means whether Labour likes it or not as well.

    • MrSmith 4.1

      Will I agree we do need to grow up and make these referendums binding, And I can hear the Tory knees knocking from here! (the smacking referendum result which key ignored was very smart politics on Nationals part) but we need to consider how bad things would have been if it had been in-forced, and basically nothing would have changed except people would maybe think about raising their hand as quickly and more importantly we might just be thinking before we act.

  5. Matthew 5

    There will be no movement in the opinion polls from this referendum result.

    Both sides of the debate have made their positions perfectly clear. Voters have already decided who to vote for. In fact little has changed from the last election which makes this Green Party initiated referendum a waste of $9 million dollars.

    As an aside what % response do people think needs to be achieved for the referendum to be a political success? I think anything over 40% would have to be a moderate success and anything over 50% would be outstanding.

    • framu 5.1

      for the last time its not a ref initiated by the green party!

      do you know who grey power are?

    • lprent 5.2

      That is easy. A bit over a million No votes. Why?

      Well the useless dipshits from the national support group and government ministers and other MPs have been droning that they got a mandate because National “won” the election with about a third of the eligible voters. That was just over 1 million votes..

      Getting rid of the useless whiners dribbling on every topic that the had a mandate from the majority for a policy with virtually no support apart from a tiny minority (maybe 10%? at best) is worth doing.

      referendum a waste of $9 million dollars.

      National’s usual waste. They could have just added it to the next general election. However they preferred to waste the money.

      BTW: You really are kind of dumb about what actually happens politically aren’t you? Please raise your game. I hate cleaning up diced troll.

      • infused 5.2.1

        “Mr Goff said Prime Minister John Key had made this year’s election a referendum on whether New Zealanders wanted to see their most important strategic assets sold.”

        http://www.voxy.co.nz/politics/election-will-be-referendum-asset-sales-goff/5/79913

        The referendum also has to be held within 12 months. If signatures hadn’t been fucked up the first time, there would have been no way to hold this at the election.

        If it was held at the election, you’d be crying over it for the next 12 months.

        • Lanthanide 5.2.1.1

          Parliament can vote to delay the referendum to a date they see fit if they get 75% of the votes in the house.

          Both Labour and Greens said they would vote to hold it with the 2014 election if National would allow it.

          If it was held at the election, you’d be crying over it for the next 12 months.

          Not likely, because it would be our democratic parliament at work. Something that people on the left tend to cherish.

        • One Anonymous Knucklehead 5.2.1.2

          The next election will be a referendum on whether the compulsory reacquisition should be with or without some sort of token compensation.

          • Matthew 5.2.1.2.1

            ????

            Cunliffe is yet to commit to a repurchase and my guess is he will not do so.

            It’s interesting to see some of the attitudes on here. It is no wonder New Zealanders throw everything they have into rental property and over-inflate the property market.

            • Tracey 5.2.1.2.1.1

              and yet most of those NZers vote right, which might explain the weak comments by the PM on the new 20% threshold… it doesnt hurt the rental property buyers

  6. Tracey 6

    1.6m voted in s59a repeal. However that debate was full of moral and liberal outrage and more misinformation than fact imo.

    this one seems to have been more factual in a sense

    • felix 6.1

      “Do you not support the buying of assets from the govt as a part of good citizenship?”

    • dave 6.2

      if you notice slippery is trying to get cunliffe to commit to buying them back if we commit buying them back thats giveing the wankers a bailout the share price would jump far better to bring in power nz single buyer model wreak havoc on the share price then ambush the share holders 2 years from now once there values have been smashed.

  7. BrucetheMoose 7

    Wait for it, wait for it …it’s Snapper time again. Oops, used that one up already. Johnny will have to connive up something else now.

  8. binders full of women 8

    You can’t have it both ways.. you can’t say Nat got 1/3 of the vote (ie count the non voters) and then complain that nice Mr Key will do the same… count the non votes in whichever pile he wants. Geddit? Why can’t I find a price for the Meridian shares? Are they MELB ?

    • Francis 8.1

      If you’re referring to the argument that National didn’t get a “mandate” to sell assets at the general election, they’re not inducing the non-voters in that count.

      Parties that campaigned in support:
      National – 47.31%
      ACT – 1.07%
      Total – 48.38%

      Parties that campaigned opposed:
      Labour – 27.48%
      Greens – 11.06%
      NZ First – 6.59%
      Maori – 1.43%
      Mana – 1.08%
      Conservatives – 2.65%
      Total – 50.26%

      United Future did not campaign either way, and therefore has not been included in either count.

      Therefore, more New Zealanders who voted in the 2011 general election voted for parties who were opposed to asset sales. It’s only due to the way the numbers add up when forming a Government that the governing majority had the numbers to support asset sales.

      That’s besides the fact that many New Zealanders did not vote only on the basis of asset sales, instead voting on the wider policies (or personalities, more likely…)

  9. ianmac 9

    Thanks James for that link to progress. 926,357 up until yesterday. And I note that Tuesdays was greater than Mondays. Promising.

    • Lanthanide 9.1

      Only because it’ll have a few extra mailing from over the weekend, eg people who dropped it off late Saturday or on Sunday and it wasn’t picked up from the post office until Monday morning.

      I think we’re going to end up with 1.4 – 1.5m, since I expect the daily returnings will drop to around 50-60k a day shortly.

  10. ianmac 10

    Thanks James for that link to progress. 926,357 up until yesterday. And I note that Tuesdays was greater than Mondays. Promising.

  11. Outofbed 11

    i think more like 1.7m
    60% no vote would be good
    It would be more then those who voted national in 2011
    Which lets face it ,is the target

  12. Outofbed 12

    Just for a laugh !
    Postal vote comparison
    day7 cir cumulative return 30%
    http://www.elections.org.nz/events/2013-citizens-initiated-referendum/results-2013-citizens-initiated-referendum/progressive

    day 7 wellington citycouncil election postal voting cumulative approx 14%
    http://www.electionz.com/elections/lgereturns/ELT47WC13_returns.htm

    Looking good for a 60% turn out rate =1.8m

  13. Pete 13

    The million vote mark has now been cracked. Be nice to make it to 1.5

  14. Naki Man 14

    Lefty Retards wasting $9 million dollars on a non binding referendum. God help us
    if you losers ever get anywhere near the purse strings