Labour and National urged to strike deal to stop overhangs distorting elections

Summarised by Centrist

Labour and National are being urged to strike a bipartisan deal to prevent overhangs from determining election outcomes, but former ACT leader Rodney Hide says the proposal risks overturning the will of voters.

In an NZ Herald opinion piece, political editor Thomas Coughlan argues that both major parties have an interest in changing MMP rules to prevent strategic voting from producing disproportionate parliamentary representation.

He suggests two possible reforms including expanding Parliament to 170 MPs. This will be either through additional list seats, to make overhangs less likely, or introducing compensatory seats for other parties whenever an overhang occurs, preserving proportionality.

Both would increase the number of MPs. Coughlan argues that whichever party wins, even with help from an overhang, should support reform rather than preserve an advantage its opponents could exploit at future elections.

In his October 17 opinion piece, The Post's Henry Cooke suggests Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins could agree before polling day that neither would form a government dependent on an overhang.

Cooke raises the possibility of a temporary grand coalition to change the electoral law before holding another election. He argues this could be accomplished without a referendum or parliamentary supermajority.

Former ACT leader Rodney Hide characterises Cooke's argument as: "if you vote the wrong way, you vote again."

He argues that split voting and overhangs are lawful features of MMP, established by Parliament, and that voters are entitled to use their electorate and party votes strategically.

"That's not cheating. That's MMP working exactly as Parliament wrote the law," Hide writes.

He accuses Cooke of encouraging Labour and National to rewrite electoral rules to suit themselves, without first seeking a public mandate.

Hide also rejects the suggestion that organised strategic voting undermines democracy, arguing that persuading voters to use their votes effectively is part of ordinary election campaigning.

Editorial note: The near-simultaneous calls come as voters are being encouraged to split their electorate and party votes to take advantage of provisions already written into MMP law. For critics such as Hide, the proposals raise an uncomfortable question: why are influential political commentators urging Labour and National to change the system just as voters are learning how to use it? Coughlan and Cooke see a threat to proportional representation. Hide sees a threat to voters' right to determine the outcome under existing rules. 

Read more at The NZ Herald | The Post | Brash & Mitchell

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