Elections
The Council is elected every three years using the first past the post voting system. The vote is conducted by postal ballot. The most recent elections, which closed on 13 October 2007, had a turnout of 41.7%.
For electoral purposes, Christchurch is divided into seven wards. The six metropolitan wards each elect two Councillors, with the remaining Councillor elected for the sparsely populated Banks Peninsula ward.
Party politics are much less influential in elections to the Council than is the case for the House of Representatives. In 2007, the Mayor and a majority of Councillors were elected as independent candidates. Political groupings represented on the Council are the centre-right Independent Citizens and the centre-left Christchurch 2021.
Read more about this topic: Christchurch City Council
Famous quotes containing the word elections:
“Apparently, a democracy is a place where numerous elections are held at great cost without issues and with interchangeable candidates.”
—Gore Vidal (b. 1925)
“In my public statements I have earnestly urged that there rested upon government many responsibilities which affect the moral and spiritual welfare of our people. The participation of women in elections has produced a keener realization of the importance of these questions and has contributed to higher national ideals. Moreover, it is through them that our national ideals are ingrained in our children.”
—Herbert Hoover (1874–1964)