As of Tuesday 30 September, the reported voting returns indicate heaps of HB voters have yet to choose their preferred elected officials. 

Some might have decided not to vote at all. Those making that decision are probably doing what’s best for democracy. Better no vote than a clueless one.

However, for those still intending to vote, but anguishing over choices, here are some tips.

  1. Firstly, you don’t need to vote for every position on your ballot. If there are several seats in the ward/constituency where you are voting, but you only have an informed view of 1 or 2 or 3 candidates, only vote for those for whom you have a reason. Dart board voting or pulling names out of a hat doesn’t serve any purpose … and might yield major disappointment once their poor performance surfaces.
  2. Candidates can say anything in their 150-word Voter Guide profiles (most say nothing truly illuminating). So, treat these as your least reliable source of insight unless the candidate is quite specific about their background (which is perhaps more important than their stated beliefs!).
  3. Instead, look for information about their past contributions to the community – have they volunteered, worked on some community project, served on a board or leadership group? This separates a lot of wheat from the chaff.
  4. Ask around. Of course, word of mouth isn’t always reliable, especially when based on 2nd or 3rd hand impressions. But if someone you trust really knows a candidate and vouches for them on some relevant basis, that’s worth considering.
  5. Public endorsements are valuable. Most people are private about their voting, so when someone – particularly a community leader with their own credibility at stake – gives reasons for putting that credibility behind a candidate publicly, that’s definitely worth considering. 
  6. If you do know a candidate, try to visualize them in the elected role they seek … not as your favourite cousin Sue or Matt your Quiz Nite teammate! I think this is quite helpful, especially with respect to mayoral candidates. Who do you want at the head of the table calling the shots when Cyclone Florence smashes Hawke’s Bay next February?
  7. And then of course you can actually research the candidates … there’s a thought! We’ve provided heaps of material on BayBuzz’s Election Central to enable that – from both the 100+ candidates themselves and our own analyses. Have a look.

Hopefully these tips help you narrow your choices and make them more informed. Your voting selections don’t need to be totally random!

And as suggested above, if you still have no better reason for choosing someone than they’re first in alphabetical order, best you do a favour to the community and not vote at all.

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6 Comments

  1. As usual though – Apathy rules! And then all the non-voters will be upstanding and screaming about how “their” council doesn’t do a good job, they waste money, they don’t fix the potholes, they don’t do what the non-voters want! If you can’t spend 10 minutes voting, or bless us all, spend 30 minutes checking out the candidates, then don’t complain in the future – you’re the same amount of waste of space as some of the council nominees

  2. Disagree….the beaty of a real democracy is that you can not vote and still ‘moan’ about ‘your’ council…..I wouldn’t want it to be any different …..viva la democrazy. (Yes, I voted).

  3. Sure did Vote. Good luck Richard, looking forward to change in our Hawke’s Bay Councils. Let’s get rid of all the piggies in the trough who don’t care about the people, only their rich mates. Love ya, Rogue Hop but Kirsten doing your books, not so much. It’s nice when a few clicks reveals all the questionable relationships. As for Mana Ahuriri, they’ve got very far since Chad and Morehu have been in power, go figure? Sorry to those people on Auckland Road, snuck another one into the PDP without people really knowing. Remember to vote if you haven’t, or transparency will continue to remain a farce. Night night.

  4. I’m for the mayoral candidates/Councilors who are there for the people, not the $. Voted Richard. One more week!

  5. As Winston said, and I quote ‘New Zealanders’ homes are supposed to be a place where we all can be and feel safe and secure. No one has the right to take that away’. The current Councils have done that with the FDS and PDP, taking away ratepayers rights to have a say in what goes next door to or disturbs their established properties. Shame on all of you that voted this in. Wishing you nothing but karma for the rest of your terms.

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