Columns

As you read this, look at the date. It’s approximately two weeks before 20 August, right? You have until then to get yourself enrolled, in Dunedin, on the Electoral Roll.

Many of you have already, but many have not. If you are first- or even second-year, I urge you to get on the roll. You will spend the next three or so years here, in our fair city, paying your landlord’s [insert stadium critique here] rates through your over-inflated rent … 
    Okay, fair enough, yes, we should care. But how in the hell do we know who to vote for? People are not standing under their typical party umbrella, so we won’t know their values, right? As the very pretty but questionably politicked Edward Greig pointed out in Issue 16 of Critic, some parties’ MPs need to be kept “in check” due to their “ill-advised remarks” or “questionable moral character,” so if their colours were worn on their sleeve we would know about their sneaky habits. Why Edward, is this a bad thing? If our MPs are involved in questionable moral conduct, why would we vote them in? Seems to me to be an admission that National and even Labour are in some ways morally-deficient parties …
    Don’t panic. If you are left-leaning, there will be some information floating around during this local election cycle, about what certain candidates stand for. You will not need to use your political party alliance to decide how to vote, because the person should be standing on their very own platform about them, not their party. If they are not, then it can be assumed that they want the status quo. 
    Thanks to the totally awesome lobby group, Left Field, you will know what people stand for, because they will tell you. They are putting on an Enrolment party called Rock Enrol, at Sammy’s on 12 August, and they are getting information out there in whatever way they can. They will host voting workshops so you can make some sense of STV. There will be a candidate forum at Circadian Rhythm on 2 September, and there will be a whole host of other opportunities to arm yourself with knowledge. Left Field are not here to tell you who to vote for, they are here to show you what people are made of so that you can decide for yourself. 
    Look out for their fliers. Vote in October.