Criteria
The Royal Commission established ten criteria for choosing an electoral system. The criteria were not weighed equally by the commission, and a balance was sought.
1. Fairness between political parties
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- The number of seats in the House should roughly reflect the number of votes received
2. Effective representation of minority and special interest groups
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- The membership of Parliament should reflect the divisions of society
3. Effective Māori representation
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- Māori should be fairly and effectively represented in House
- Treaty of Waitangi & aboriginal rights should be respected
4. Political Integration
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- All groups should respect views taken by others in society
5. Effective representation of constituents
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- An electoral system should encourage close links and accountability to the community
6. Effective voter participation
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- The voting system should be understandable
- Power should be hands of voters to make/unmake governments
7. Effective government
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- Governments should be able to act decisively and fulfil their responsibilities to their voters
8. Effective Parliament
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- Parliament should be independent from government control
- Parliament should be able to authorise spending and taxation as well as legislate
9. Effective parties
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- Political parties should be formulating policy and providing representation
10. Legitimacy
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- Fair and reasonable to the community
The Commission evaluated first-past-the-post, single transferable vote, Supplementary Member, Alternative Vote and mixed member proportional.
Read more about this topic: Royal Commission On The Electoral System
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