Topic+4+-+What+is+an+MMP+Election?

New Zealand has 120 **Members of Parliament (MPs).** Under the **Mixed Member Proportional system** (MMP), New Zealanders cast **two votes**. The first vote, called the “**party vote**”, is for the political party the voter most wants to see in Parliament. The second vote, called the “**electorate vote”**, is for the local candidate the voter wants to represent the voter’s electorate (region or area). **The party vote is used to calculate how many seats in Parliament each party may have**. If the number of a party’s MPs elected by “electorate vote” is smaller than the number of seats it wins in the “party vote” then the rest of its MPs are taken from a “**party list**”. For example, in the last election Labour won 41% of the party vote, which meant it won 50 out of 120 seats. 31 Labour MPs got voted in to represent their electorates. This meant that 19 more Labour MPs came from the party list. Each party must qualify to get into Parliament by either winning at least 5% of all the party votes at the election or winning at least one electorate seat at the election.  In this way the total number of Members of Parliament a party has will generally reflect its share of the total vote. Smaller parties are represented in Parliament under the MMP system so **coalition** or agreements between parties are often needed to form governments. In the last New Zealand election (held in 2005) 69 MPs were elected and 52 were appointed from party lists. This mix can vary because the numbers and borders of the electorates are reviewed after every election. We will learn more about party votes, electorate votes, party lists and coalitions when we stage our class election next week.  Political parties have different ideas and **policies** (plans) about important things such as: how the economy is run, what laws should be made, how much tax people should pay, how much money the government should spend on things like health, education, infrastructure, the environment etc. Voters find out about the differences in each party’s policies through reading newspapers, looking on the internet, reading pamphlets delivered in the mail, listening to politicians speak on television, as well as other ways. In the last election the Labour Party won the most votes by promoting policies such as interest-free Student Loans, extra public hospital operations, the “Working for Families” tax relief for lower to middle-income families, and a “KiwiSaver” retirement savings program.  **ACTIVITY**  In July 2008 the Herald created a poll to predict how people will vote in the election at the end of the year. Use the statistical information below to create 3 bar graphs in your Social Studies books. Firstly, write the heading “Election Poll Results, July 2008”. The three bar graphs should be titled “Party Vote Breakdown by Gender, July 2008” “Party Vote Breakdown by Issues, July 2008” and “Party Vote July 2008”. Your bar graphs should use a coloured key to present the information more effectively. Round all numbers up to the nearest percent.

National 55.4% Labour 30.8% Green Party 5.5% NZ First 4.1% Maori Party 2.6% Act 0.2% United Future 0.9% Kiwi Party 0%
 * Party Vote, July 2008**

Male Female National 60.6% 49.6% Labour 24.7% 37.5% Green Party 5.4% 5.7% NZ First 4.5% 3.6% Maori Party 1.9% 3.6% United Future 1.6% 0%
 * Party Vote by Gender, July 2008**

The Economy 22.9% Tax Cuts 16.5% Hospital Waiting Lists 13.8% Law and Order 17.2% Leadership 8.8% Global Warming 7.4% The Anti-Smacking Bill 4.8% The Electoral Finance Act 2.5%
 * Most Important Issues to Voters, July 2008**

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