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Roger Rabbits with |
It was Winston Churchill who pointed to “the LITTLE man, walking into the LITTLE booth, with a LITTLE pencil and making a LITTLE cross on a LITTLE bit of paper”.
In his no small, and eloquent, way, Churchill was underscoring the true foundation and ultimate power of democracy.
So ‘Winnie’, this “little man” will sharpen his traditional graphite HB pencil, and for about the 19th time in my life, stumble and bumble off to the “little polling booth”.
My right. My privilege. My responsibility. It feels good to have a say. Unfortunately the head is full of rash promises and singing one song, while the heart’s beating a very different tune.
After slogging through hours of TV political debates, you’d think a man would have his options sorted. But nuh! Because next day when you tune into the chat, and read the opinion pieces, you’re left wondering if you were watching the same game.
Polling booths – soulless places. Just flinty faces and electoral rolls, 3.5 million names and addresses, doing high-minded, noble work. No pencils but marker pens. Because “little” people with marker pens, will decide.
Oomph-ed
Perhaps we can learn from the Ozzies. They’ve oomph-ed things up.
Because on the way to the polling booth, the Ozzie will stop by a non-partisan “democracy barbeque” and grab a slice of politically neutral white bread.
He will lay a “democracy snag” diagonally across the bread, smear it with “dead horse”, or apolitical tomato sauce. And “no wukkas”, no worries, “she’ll be apples”. Everything good.
Democracy barbecues, I’m told, are an electoral institution in Australia. Up go the hoardings, and out come the pre-cooked sausages. Because on polling day, there’s a captive clientele of up to 18,000,000 voters for fundraising schools and community groups flogging ‘snags’.
Even if half the voter turnout bought a snag, that would be about 13km of medium sized classic beef sausages laid end to end. Barbecue sausages and voting goes hand in gob. It works. Australia boasts one of the highest voter turnouts in the world.
In 2022 about 90% of eligible Ozzies voted. They can’t play rugby, but they vote very well.
It means the majority of people overall are represented, they say. Not just the majority of those who bothered to vote. Proponents say that makes for more middle ground, egalitarian public policy – something for everyone.
On the other hand, the UK had a voter turnout of just 60% for its 2024 General Election – the thoughts and feelings of 40% of eligible voters didn’t count.
The numbers for the US presidential election the same year weren’t much better – just 64%.
Blame the weather
In New Zealand three years ago, just over 78% of eligible voters turned out – which still means many, many thousands, tens of thousands, just didn’t. We’re compelled to enrol, but we don’t have to actually vote. So many don’t. Could have been the “dynamic spring weather” which brought widespread rain, some thunderstorms and strong winds for some places.
Apart from not wanting their hair mussed, voters offer other explanations. Personal reasons, work commitments, and health. Not knowing where to vote and how to vote deterred others. And the obvious – not knowing who to vote for, being unfamiliar with candidates, what they stood for, or not believing in voting.
What’s not to believe? If you don’t vote, you can’t complain.
And let’s not forget people in some countries are fighting and dying for democratic rights and freedoms. Like Iran and Myanmar. And some of us are scratching around for reasons not to vote.
Cheese rolls?
Perhaps NZ should follow Ozzie – roll out non-partisan food trucks offering ‘Democracy cheese rolls and mince and cheese pies’ near polling booths? Both served with a dash of conscience, duty and belonging to lure the other 22% to the polls.
I read an ‘unbeliever’ somewhere saying “not voting is a legitimate expression of one’s voice”. Maybe – but in Australia that “expression” comes at a cost. Since 1924 it’s been an offence for Australian citizens aged 18-plus not to vote.
It’s not a hanging offence. You won’t get arrested.
They simply send a polite notice advising you have been derelict in your duty, and require you to pay an “administrative penalty” of AUS$20to be paid by a deadline.
But if you fail to pay, and it gets to court, the fines are more than AUS$300. Wham! Following the 2025 poll in Australia their Electoral Commission served “failed to vote” notices to 1.3 million people.
However if you had a “valid and sufficient reason” not to vote – and 250,000 people did – you will accorded divine forgiveness and go unpunished.
After Australia’s Commonwealth Electoral Act was amended more than 100 years ago turnout surged from less than 60% in 1922 to more than 91% in 1925. And it has stayed strong.
There have been a few grumblings about compulsory voting along the way, but they haven’t gathered traction. The majority accept compulsory voting gets everyone involved in the election; everyone feels engaged with the political process.
No such thing as a vote that doesn’t matter – so go vote Saturday, November 7.
How and when
* Voting enrolment for the 2026 New Zealand General Election closes at midnight on Sunday, October 25. To find out more details or to enrol to vote, visit: https://vote.nz
