Voter turnout

Why is this important?

Voter turnout is an indicator of community engagement and political participation. It can reflect how much people feel engaged in their community.  

Key points

• In 2016, over 60% of people eligible to vote in the three council areas did so - 64% in Christchurch, 63% in Selwyn, and 68% in Waimakariri.
• This turnout was a slight decrease from the 2013 elections for all areas, 7% less in Christchurch and 3% less in both Selwyn and Waimakariri.

 

Note this is an interactive chart and you can click on the legend items to change what is shown on the graph.

Commentary

The Canterbury earthquakes appear to have had a big impact on local government elections voter turnout. Christchurch experienced a jump in 2010, while all three councils appear to have peaked in voter turnout in 2013. Turnout dropped back slightly in 2016 but was still markedly higher than pre-earthquake voting levels.

NOTE: Christchurch City amalgamated with Banks Peninsula in 2006, so 2007 data onwards includes this change. For the 2016 elections, Christchurch also changed its councillor numbers from 14 over 7 wards to 16 (with a councillor for each).