The local elections saw one of the lowest voter turnouts in decades nationally, with Auckland’s turnout right at the bottom of the heap. While Waiheke voter turnout was well above the national average, and second in the region overall, it still means only half of all eligible Waihekeans voted.
Council governance and engagement manager Lou-Ann Ballantyne says it’s a disappointingly low turn-out, despite the council’s efforts to make voting as accessible as possible. “Anecdotally, we’ve heard people didn’t know who to vote for. Typically, when voters are unsure about candidates or are happy with the status quo, they are likely to abstain from voting, and this could be a reason for the decrease in turnout,” she says.
• Paul Mitchell
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