New Zealanders get two votes because MMP answers two different questions. The party vote asks which party should have the most power in Parliament, and it decides the share of the 120 seats. The electorate vote asks which individual person should represent your local area. You can give them to different parties.
New Zealanders get two votes because MMP answers two different questions. The party vote asks which party should have the most power in Parliament, and it decides the share of the 120 seats. The electorate vote asks which individual person should represent your local area. You can give them to different parties.
Party vote: decides the shape of Parliament. Most powerful.
Electorate vote: decides your local MP.
You may split them, and many people do.
Both votes are on the same piece of paper.
Before MMP, New Zealanders had only one vote, so they had to answer both questions with a single tick. If you liked your local candidate but not their party, you were stuck.
The two-vote design separates those judgements. You can back a hard-working local candidate and still give your party vote to someone else.
The party vote. It sets how many seats a party gets overall. An electorate vote changes who represents one area out of dozens.
There is one exception worth knowing. If a party wins an electorate seat, it gets its full proportional share of seats even if it is under 5% nationally.
Is splitting my vote allowed?
Yes, completely. It is a normal and intended part of MMP.
What if I only tick one?
The vote you did tick still counts. The other is simply not counted.