Last day to vote

Written By: - Date published: 7:11 am, December 12th, 2013 - 43 comments
Categories: accountability, assets, community democracy, national, Politics, referendum, same old national, scoundrels - Tags:

This is the last day that you can vote No in the referendum on asset sales. So dig that form out, mark it and send it.

Over the last few years the National party has been claiming that by being able to form a government, that they had a “mandate” to do whatever in the hell they wanted to do with flogging off state assets to their wealthier voters. This is of course complete bollocks. They got voted in by about a third of voters. All they had a mandate to do with a one seat majority was to form a government and to attempt to govern.

However they have been pushing the nonsense for far too long. Politicians are not well trusted in NZ, usually ranking in most honesty and reputation measures as being below used car salesmen and real estate agents. Probably well more than half of the National voters simply voted against the other parties simply because they trusted National slightly more than their opposition. It is hardly a mandate to steal assets from the vast majority of the countries population who were opposed to selling state assets.

This referendum vote is a clear way to send a message that even a self-serving delusional National MP can understand. Being able to form a government is not a mandate to do whatever you feel like.

Join the 41% who as of yesterday morning had voted in the referendum. Most of whom undoubtedly voted against National’s “mandate” rubbish.

This table records the number of voting papers received each day. It will be updated each morning until the final overseas papers are received by noon on 17 December.

Votes will not be counted until after the voting period ends at 7pm on 13 December.

Total eligible voters as at 21 November 2013: 3,037,403

Date Daily Total Daily % Cumulative Total Cumulative %
25-Nov 15,151 0.50 15,151 0.50
26-Nov 58,104 1.91 73,255 2.41
27-Nov 227,890 7.50 301,145 9.91
28-Nov 230,555 7.59 531,700 17.51
29-Nov 155,378 5.12 687,078 22.62
2-Dec 118,126 3.89 805,204 26.51
3-Dec 121,153 3.99 926,357 30.50
4-Dec 82,243 2.71 1,008,600 33.21
5-Dec 74,709 2.46 1,083,309 35.67
6-Dec 43,139 1.42 1,126,448 37.09
9-Dec 34,823 1.15 1,161,271 38.23
10-Dec 45,110 1.49 1,206,381 39.72
11-Dec 41,641 1.37 1,248,022 41.09
12-Dec 0 0.00 0 0.00
13-Dec 0 0.00 0 0.00
16-Dec 0 0.00 0 0.00
17-Dec 0 0.00 0 0.00
Total 1,248,022 41.09 1,248,022 41.09

 

43 comments on “Last day to vote ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. mickysavage 1
    12 December 2013 at 8:01 am

    The turnout is so far refreshingly high but if there can be more “No” votes than the number of party votes National received last year then this will be a significant blow to the administration.

    • Lanthanide 1.1
      12 December 2013 at 10:03 am

      Turnout is lower than the pro-beating-your-kids referendum, which got 1,684,402 and total percentage of 56%.

      • mickysavage 1.1.1
        12 December 2013 at 10:10 am

        But that was taken at the same time as a general election.

        By elections and postal votes are always lower. The recent local body election is an example of this.

        • Anne 1.1.1.1
          12 December 2013 at 10:25 am

          @ mickysavage
          It’s up to the Greens and Labour to hammer this point home time and again because one thing is sure… Lanthanide’s observation will be used by Key and his minions to discredit the referendum from now until the election.

          Too often in the past Labour has allowed NAct to get away with their false analogies.

          • Hanswurst 1.1.1.1.1
            12 December 2013 at 10:58 am

            I disagree. Labour and the Greens should just hammer the result and the turnout home as facts in themselves. As soon as they get into comparisons with the smacking referendum and the vagaries of postal votes vs concurrency with a general election, they are wasting time on defending themselves instead of putting their point across. The smacking debate has been had and it’s over. Just point out how many people are against asset sales and be done with it. The Nats’ pointing out that the smacking referendum had a higher turnout will already be sophistry in most people’s eyes, and only convincing to those who are already heavily prejudiced in favour of asset sales or beating their children.

        • Lanthanide 1.1.1.2
          12 December 2013 at 1:04 pm

          Um, no it wasn’t. It was done via a postal vote in 2009, many months after the election. Helen Clark got quite a bit of flack for deciding not to hold it at the election, for the flimsy excuse from the chief electoral officer that holding the referendum at the election would be confusing.

          Talk about being out of touch.

          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_citizens-initiated_referendum,_2009

  2. Philj 2
    12 December 2013 at 8:31 am

    Xox
    What do you predict for the ‘no’ percentage? I predict 75%. Where is the TAB when you need it.

  3. greywarbler 3
    12 December 2013 at 9:07 am

    What does I Predict say about likely result? Posted mine last night, and checked sons had done so.

    • Lanthanide 3.1
      12 December 2013 at 10:01 am

      Bizarrely, iPredict doesn’t have any contracts on it, despite receiving suggestions for it months ago, as well as days ago.

      Personally I’m picking 70-73% no. Looks like the turnout will be very close to Rob Salmond’s estimate of 1.35m.

      I think we’ll fall slightly short of beating National’s raw vote in 2011.

      • Colonial Viper 3.1.1
        12 December 2013 at 10:30 am

        I’m still picking 1.5M mate. Last minute voting surge always happens with postal ballots.

        Local body election turnout nationwide was 47.5%. If we get around that it will be good indeed.

        • Lanthanide 3.1.1.1
          12 December 2013 at 1:38 pm

          Don’t think so. If we had return rates from the 2009 referendum then I might agree. I had a look but couldn’t find any data for it.

          A postal vote for a local election is quite a different beast.
          1. People see hoardings for local elections up all over the place as they go about their day to day business, reminding them to vote. No such hoardings exist for the referendum.

          2. Voting in a local election requires a lot more consideration, because you’re picking a particular person who has policies that cover a variety of issues, which you may need to do more research on; the asset sales policy is very straightforward and widely publicised in the media, people will generally know what side of the fence they’re on and it’s a simple binary decision.

          3. People probably care more about local elections, because they can actually change the way their city is run – Celia Wade Brown, Len Brown and Lianne Dalziel have all had big impacts. An asset sales referendum that the government has clearly signalled will be ignored isn’t very compelling.

          • thechangeling 3.1.1.1.1
            12 December 2013 at 3:36 pm

            We put hoardings up in Palmerston North/Rangitikei electorates! I’ve seen Green ones as well as Labour ones in Whanganui too!

        • swordfish 3.1.1.2
          13 December 2013 at 12:27 am

          I’m picking 1.4 or thereabouts. (but I’d certainly prefer 1.5+)

  4. Tracey 4
    12 December 2013 at 10:46 am

    I thought pro beating kids was august 2009?

  5. Natwest 5
    12 December 2013 at 12:12 pm

    SO! The point of all this, is what?????

    Whatever, the outcome of the referendum – the Assets will remain sold – the sun will come up tomorrow and, the NZ economy will, continue to bubble along just nicely – thank you very much Mr Key and the National Government.

    What a pathetic waste of time and money – but I guess it gives the bottom dwellers a chance to vent their spleen and whinge and whine.

    And guess what, despite all his rhetoric and bluster, Mr Cunliar wont buy them back either – yeah, nah.

    • KJT 5.1
      12 December 2013 at 12:19 pm

      “The economy will bubble along just nicely”.

      Thanks to Paul Keating, Micheal Cullen, and those “communists” paying a higher price for milk.

      Fixed it for you!

    • Rogue Trooper 5.2
      12 December 2013 at 12:34 pm

      Scene 1: A cavern, in the middle, a boiling cauldron.

      First Witch: Thrice the brinded cat hath mewed

      All: Double, double toil and trouble.

    • framu 5.3
      12 December 2013 at 12:51 pm

      “What a pathetic waste of time and money – but I guess it gives the bottom dwellers a chance to vent their spleen and whinge and whine. ”

      your talking about yourself again arent you?

      well its a step up from your two words yesterday

      “SO! The point of all this, is what?????” – its sends a very clear message you dunce. Why does this shit need repeating? Its like remedial logic class

      • Natwest 5.3.1
        12 December 2013 at 2:09 pm

        My point “dick head” – is it will change absolutely nothing – so that’s really logical, not.

        Therefore = total waste of time and money.

        Who bloody cares what a few left leaning numb nuts think of Asset Sales – it’s already a done deal – so who’s the “dunce”.

        Get over yourselves and move on – shit it’s pathetic and painful to witness the gnashing of teeth and the wringing of hands!

        • framu 5.3.1.1
          12 December 2013 at 4:56 pm

          why are you so rude? – bit short down below?

          The point is, and i will say this real slow because it seems some people cant remember…

          1) some of the assets are sold – but we all know the nats want to go the whole hog
          2) its nullifes the bull shit “we have a mandate” argument
          3) there is an election coming up remember? You claim it changes nothing, but its just as much a message to the electorate as it is to the pollies – it will influence the election – duh
          4) the nats could have waited for the ref result – why didnt they? hmm i wonder
          5) the cost of the ref pales in insignificance to the costs of the sale – costs that could have been mitigated if the nats had put things on hold to prove their precious mandate. your cool with that i take it

          exactly how long have the nats and idiots like you been saying that NZ is OK with this? – If the ref goes against that it proves that youre wrong, and remember every single poll done, ever, shows a steady and solid opposition to asset sales

          got it? – did that get through? is it simple enough? or do i need to do crayon drawings? maybe some role play to help you imagine it?

          Theres no wailing and nashing of teeth from the left here – just consistant solid argument that has required taking things this far to get knuckle draggers like yourself and dishonest charlatans like the national party to be faced with the truth. – piss off and go suck you thumb

        • swordfish 5.3.1.2
          13 December 2013 at 12:19 am

          @ Natwest “Who bloody cares what a few left leaning numb nuts think of Asset Sales – it’s already a done deal – so who’s the “dunce”.

          Don’t wish to be impolite, but you do appear to be something of a Dumbfuck. Polls suggest around 70% now oppose National’s partial privatisation (up from 60-62% in 2010-2012).

          So, you appear to be calling more than TWO-THIRDS of New Zealanders (including well over a third of 2011 Nat voters) “left leaning numb nuts” and “dunces”.

          Jesus !, with friends like you, the Nats don’t need any enemies, do they ? You’re worth 100,000 new votes to the Left, alone. So, perhaps we should be thanking you, Mister Tory Shit-for-Brains.

          • Arfamo 5.3.1.2.1
            13 December 2013 at 12:21 am

            Christ knows what you’d have said if you’d decided to be impolite but I bet it would’ve been hilarious.

      • DJ 5.3.2
        12 December 2013 at 3:33 pm

        This is what bemuses me about this referendum. The assets are already sold. The referendum is useless. So what if it sends a message, it is a meaningless message in the greater scheme of things.

        The smacking referendum was different. The majority of people voted against it, but then it still went ahead.

        The question at this referendum should have been “Do you want Labour to buy the assets back?” That would have sent a very clear message.

        • gobsmacked 5.3.2.1
          12 December 2013 at 3:43 pm

          DJ

          Memory fail.

          The smacking referendum was different. The majority of people voted against it, but then it still went ahead.

          False. The law was already passed. The government had changed (2008 election). Then the referendum took place, and Key ignored it.

          This referendum is taking place during the asset sales.

        • framu 5.3.2.2
          12 December 2013 at 5:10 pm

          SOME of some of the assets are already sold DJ – thats really the point

          so its not meaningless – it proves the mantra of “we have a mandate” wrong before the nats sell everything

          • blue leopard (Get Lost GCSB Bill) 5.3.2.2.1
            12 December 2013 at 5:18 pm

            …it also allows ‘us’ to gauge what the strength of feeling is on the subject because National try and tell us that these sales are supported by a majority and the media would have us believe that ‘we don’t care’ on numerous issues and continually feed us that message and this encourages apathy….leaving the big boys to continue to make their gains unobstructed….at the expense of the majority of people.

  6. Matthew Hooton 6
    12 December 2013 at 12:20 pm

    Thanks for the reminder

    • Te Reo Putake 6.1
      12 December 2013 at 12:23 pm

      Cheers, Matthew, every vote, yes or no, diminishes Key’s dubious claim to have a mandate.

    • captain hook 6.2
      12 December 2013 at 12:25 pm

      thats okay.
      this is a putative democracy and everyone gets a say whether they do anything about it or not.
      have a nice day.

  7. gobsmacked 7
    12 December 2013 at 12:46 pm

    I’m amazed at the high turnout. The orange man pops up on TV and tells me to put my vote in an envelope, and take it to a post box. And a whole generation sits there thinking “Grandpa, what’s an envelope? Where’s this box? Is it on my phone?”

    Actually they don’t, because they’ve muted the ads, or fast forwarded, or whatever the young people do these days. So to get over a million people taking part in what is (so we’re constantly told by Key’s cheerleaders) a “waste of time”, is a great achievement.

    It’s quite heartening, really.

    • lprent 7.1
      12 December 2013 at 12:55 pm

      Who has ads on the TV?

      Gave up on those last year..

    • Lanthanide 7.2
      12 December 2013 at 1:07 pm

      Young people don’t watch TV.

      I haven’t seen the ads on youtube, either.

      Actually I just realised I only really watch 2 hours of regular TV each week, and occasionally turn on the news.

      I probably watch at least 2-3 hours of youtube each week.

  8. amirite 8
    12 December 2013 at 3:20 pm

    A caller to Radio Live this morning claimed that he hasn’t received the ref.papers and when he rung up the Electoral Commission was told they’ll send it asap but he never received it. He said there were four people in the house who would have voted ‘no’and that he suspected that was precisely why he never received the papers.
    I guess that’s what GCSB and other spy services are used for.

    • RedBaronCV 8.1
      12 December 2013 at 10:26 pm

      There’s something going on down there at the electoral register. I know a couple of people who disappeared myteriously off the electoral role despite not having moved an inch in some years and receiving those confirmation letters that you don’t have to reply to. Might be worth an OIA or two. How many people have had to renrol in 2013?

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