Are you eligible to vote in the general election on September 23rd? You must be 18 or older, be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident and have lived in New Zealand for at least one year continuously.
Many people feel unsure of who to vote for. The general election website has some information which might help. There are two useful websites which might help you think about your opinions. Then you might find a political party which has the same views as you do. Vote compass is one useful website. The other one is On the Fence. This refers to an idiom, sitting on the fence, which means you can’t decide on a subject. For example, one question asks your opinion about whether we should have more immigrants, fewer or about the same as now.
It’s quite interesting to try the quiz and see if your views are similar to the policy of one of the political parties.
Remember that you have two votes, one for the person and one for the party. Although voting is not compulsory, if you believe we are lucky to live in a democratic country, you should vote to show you support democracy.
Vocabulary
• eligible (adj) – have the right qualifications for something; eligibility (n)
• continuously (adv) – all the time. e.g. it rained continuously for 24 hours
• compass (n) – shows direction: north, south, east, west
• policy (n) – a plan of action e.g. National plans to spend more money on more four-lane highways
• compulsory (adj) – you must do something e.g. go to school if you are between the ages of 6 and 16; the opposite is optional