By TBHS | Posted: Friday September 29, 2017
On Friday 22 September, TBHS held its own replica election to promote voting and democratic participation on the eve of the general election.
A mock polling station was set up in the Drama Room with students and staff invited to line up, have their name crossed off the (electoral) roll and place a vote in the ballot box.
Interest in voting, democracy and elections in general has been evident from students in the lead-up to the election. This has provided opportunities for staff and students to discuss contemporary issues in realistic contexts, think about how New Zealand could be improved, and develop understanding of different perspectives. Giving students the opportunity to vote in the replica election was an attempt to demystify the act of voting while promoting further interest in the events of the following day and democratic participation in general.
Turnout was high, and the TBHS Parliament looks quite different to the one chosen by voters the following day. Both the Greens and New Zealand First fell below the 5% threshold so do not feature in our Parliament. National received 35% of the vote, while Labour came second with 18%. TBHS students displayed a high level of maturity with 16% of voters choosing the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party, while ACT (6%) and the Māori Party (7%) also made it into Parliament.
