by NZ News Essentials
vote, it could cinch the election.
Image by Matthew Shugart
Here’s a look at the power of our party vote in New Zealand, and how it could be used to benefit centre-right voters in this election.
There are 2 types of seats in NZ’s MMP electoral system: electorate seats and list seats.
Candidates win electorates by gaining more votes than their competitors in a first-past-the-post race.
List seats are won either by winning an electorate (the “coat-tailing rule”) or 5% of the party vote.
New Zealand First is currently polling at about 3% of the party vote. That means they need only about 2% of voters, from any other party, for them to meet that 5% threshold.
By crossing the 5% threshold, New Zealand First would then bring about 6 seats to Parliament that are aligned with centre-right policies. And it would only cost ACT and National 2-3 seats.
Note: This is not an endorsement of NZ First or any political party
