Getting out the vote

Written By: - Date published: 6:25 am, August 18th, 2017 - 10 comments
Categories: activism, election 2017 - Tags: , ,

Marama Davidson has been doing the mahi on helping people enrol to vote in the 2017 General Election.

She wrote on FB recently,

Today I spoke to people waiting in the long lines outside of both the Manurewa and the Clendon offices of Work and Income.

The photo below was supposed to be a selfie with just me and the office door. I don’t like to expose people who might treated cruelly in public.

But Kataraina went out of her way to run over to me after I’d spoken with people in the line about our Green Party plans to end poverty. And after I’d spoken to people about what happened to Metiria.

She insisted on being in the photo with me. She insisted on being named. I told her that I wanted to post my photo publicly and that I didn’t want her to be in it.

She looked me in the eyes and had to spell it out: she wanted to be in the photo.

So who am I to take her voice away. She wanted her voice to count.

I enrolled lots of people to vote this morning. I gave out flyers about how we will end poverty, starting with increasing benefits and removing benefit sanctions. I asked people to vote, and to vote for the Green Party so we can make peoples voices count.

End poverty. Take our country back from cruelty.

We’ve had a rough week. We’re determined now more than ever.

For anyone feeling inspired to get out there, here’s some knowledge gleaned from activists.

Access inside WINZ offices is problematic because the spaces are heavily controlled now, but it seems like handing out food and enrolment forms on the street outside of WINZ offices is ok. People are not allowed to eat or drink inside some offices, so if offering these please let people know they can get them on their way out.

Other options for helping people enrol are supermarket car parks and shopping centres. Be aware that these are privately owned spaces and you probably need permission, but might be able to ask forgiveness. You can also ask to set up a table outside shops, most are happy to give permission. Public and university libraries are another option.

You can offer to fill out forms for people and then make sure they get posted. If people take forms away, it’s likely not all will get completed. If someone is unsure, they’re probably not enrolled. You can ask if they got a letter in the past month, people often remember the Electoral Commission’s orange man.

Forms are available at Post Offices, and from the Electoral Office along with brochures about voting and the election. Unions and political organisations can also help organise bulk lots.

You can also help people enrol online, and by phone,

The Electoral Commission has information online, and on Facebook.

10 comments on “Getting out the vote ”

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  1. Cinny 1
    18 August 2017 at 7:38 am

    Last election our local school principal was kind enough to let me hand out enrollment forms to young parents coming to collect their kids from school. The cool thing about it was the kids were interested in what I was doing and as a result learnt just a little bit about how important it is to vote. New principal this election, so will go and check with him that it’s ok.

    Civics in schools would help bring up the levels of voters, kids reminding their parents and talking to them about the voting process as they learn more at school.

    I’ve usually got a stash of enrollment forms on me and am not shy about approaching young people, whether it’s strangers at the garage or friends of friends at a party.

    Good post btw.

  2. patricia bremner 2
    18 August 2017 at 8:12 am

    Treating to get a vote is not the same as treating to get enrollments surely.

    • Carolyn_nth 2.1
      18 August 2017 at 8:43 am

      The post says Marama was encouraging people to vote Green at the same time as handing out voter enrollment forms. It says nothing at all about Marama also providing people with food and drink.

      I guess the comment about food and drink was for others who might be encouraging people to enroll outside W&I offices, while not promoting a particular party.

  3. Ad 3
    18 August 2017 at 9:30 am

    Get in there Marama and work that vote.
    Where it’s at.

  4. Jenny Kirk 4
    18 August 2017 at 1:04 pm

    Yes – definitely do NOT take food or drink to hand out. This is called “treating” and no candidate or political party should be doing it.

    Food and drink is okay at a social function or public meeting where that usually happens – ie its normal to have tea/coffee/bikkies at end of a meeting .

    A complaint was made about the Birkenhead MP “treating” when trays of muffins were handed out to passengers boarding the work ferry into Auckland.

    [just to be clear, I’ve not seen anything from Marama Davidson to suggest that she is handing out food to beneficiaries while she is campaigning. I think there is also a difference between campaigning and helping people to enrol to vote. Please reread the post if you are unclear, thanks – weka]

    • popexplosion 4.1
      18 August 2017 at 2:17 pm

      This sort of knowledge will grow as Greens finally get into power. I blame Peters and Dunne for holding back Green ministers. It’s why Meteria wasn’t shakeout early, it’s why those two older male MPs stuck their heads up during a election campaign, it’s about depth of organisational knowledge. It’s led to a concern about leadership competency, brought about by the establishment closing ranks against the Greens. It allows National to make the ludicrous claim that Greens are anti-economy, like hydro, parks, wind, solar, thermal, etc, etc aren’t huge tourism, energy future, etc. The Green economy is the future economy. And it’s why National can’t be trusted as a ally when they argue against Greens on the economy. National are lazy incompetents on the economy, clearly seen in housing, poverty, pollution, missed growth opportunities…

      Vote out the establishment, Party vote Green.

  5. Eco maori 5
    19 August 2017 at 6:43 am

    We look at and Quote what a good standard of living and state systems our Scandinavian cousin’s have. We envy them
    Now the big picture is that the powerful country’s have lied conned and cheated and robbed them for century’s .

    So they have learned not to trust the powerful country’s as they no that the only one that can make laws that benefit there country is THEM SELVES so tell all those foreign adviser to FUCK OFF and let’s make laws that benefit everyone and every living thing in our country.

    Let’s not let’s them turn our country into a holiday home for the rich and famous who will put Razer wire fences around there estates and fly in and out
    We no that if we don’t look after our vulnerable people crimes will soar.
    Education our young give them the trades
    And tools they need for a good life

    Let’s take Gareth Morgan policy on he is not putting all this effort and money to become rich and famous as HE ALL READY is rich and famous.

    His visions of what our future could be would be the envy of the world .
    His policy are blunt and strait up no bull shiting around like I am the policy will benefit everyone .
    I have been following Gareth for years.
    And I said to my wife he should put his money were his mouth is 2years ago and blow me down he has.

    Now it seem to me that the corrupt MSM
    have stopped giving The Tops party air time WTf Bills Muppets in there cheating again. Real polls Nat 35percent lab 45 green 15 NZfr 15 Tops 10

  6. Eco maori 6
    19 August 2017 at 8:10 am

    By the way I think that old General Koro
    The Honrable Winston Peters has a similarly Reality Is that why he named the party New Zealand First