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Voting using MMP - Source: ONE News -
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A referendum on MMP will be held in conjunction with the 2011 general election.
The following are some questions and answers about what the referendum will entail.
What does a referendum on the voting system
involve?
A referendum on the voting system involves not only asking voters
if they want to change the voting system, but also to consider what
alternative voting system they would like. As this involves a total
of three questions, the government has decided to hold two
referenda on the voting system.
When will the first referendum be held?
The first referendum will be held in conjunction with the 2011
general election to help ensure a high voter turnout.
What will the first referendum ask?
The first referendum will ask voters two questions.
The first question asks voters whether they wish to retain the MMP voting system or if they seek change to the voting system.
The second question asks voters to choose their preferred alternative voting system from a short list of options.
Voters may decide to answer only the first question; the second question does not have to be answered. Voters can answer the second question even if they vote to retain MMP. This was the process followed in the 1992 referendum on the voting system.
The precise questions have not yet been agreed.
What will the alternative voting systems presented to voters
be?
The alternative voting systems to be presented to voters have not
yet been decided.
The question about which alternative voting systems is preferred will be included in the law to enable the first referendum. The public will have the opportunity to comment on the question during the select committee process.
Is the first referendum binding?
The first referendum is not legally binding. The second referendum
will be legally binding. The government must follow the result.
What happens after the first referendum is held?
If a majority of voters opt for a change to the voting system, a
second referendum will be held in conjunction with the 2014 general
election. If the majority vote to retain MMP, there is no need to
hold a further referendum.
What will the second referendum ask?
The second referendum, if it goes ahead, will ask voters to choose
between MMP and the preferred alternative voting system (selected
in the second question of the first referendum). This was the
process followed in the 1993 binding referendum on the voting
system when MMP was the favoured option.
What is the process for enabling the first referendum?
As there is no general legal provision for a referendum to be held in conjunction with a general election, there will need to be legislation enacted to enable the first referendum. It is intended that legislation will be introduced into the House in early 2010.
How will the public be involved in the process?
The public will be able to comment on the Bill enabling the first
referendum through the select committee process.
Click here for more information on the MMP referendum.
More information about how referenda and elections are run in New Zealand can be found at elections.org.nz
