Latest news with #by-election
Globe and Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Elections Canada to issue write-in ballot in Poilievre's by-election, citing long candidate list
Voters in an coming Alberta by-election, where Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is looking to win back a seat in Parliament, will use a special ballot after a record number of candidates put their names forward in the race, according to Elections Canada. The ballot will no longer have the names of the more than 200 people running,Elections Canada said Monday. Instead, the ballot will be a single page where voters can write in the name and party of their chosen candidate. 'The adapted ballot will feature a blank space where electors can write the name of their preferred candidate. This will replace the typical list-style ballot, on which electors mark a blank circle next to the name of the candidate of their choice,' Elections Canada said in a statement on its website. Elections Canada said a list of candidates will still be available at every voting table, so that electors can find the name of their chosen candidate.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Tāmaki Makaurau candidate Peeni Henare says government playing 'silly games'
Tāmaki Makaurau candidate Peeni Henare campaigning at Ōtara Market. Photo: RNZ/Jessica Hopkins The Labour party says Aucklanders are tired of the government's "silly games". The party was drumming up support for their candidate in the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election in South Auckland on Saturday. Peeni Henare will contest the seat for Labour against Te Pāti Māori candidate, former broadcaster Oriini Kaipara, after the death of Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Moana Tarsh Kemp in June. Henare, who narrowly lost to Kemp at the last election, spent Saturday morning at the bustling Ōtara Market. He was joined by Labour leader Chris Hipkins and other party members, including Georgie Dansey, who will enter parliament on Labour's party list if Henare is successful. Speaking on the government redesigning New Zealand's passport to place the English words above the te reo Māori text, Hipkins said he was opposed to the change. "It's a massive step backwards. We can be proud to have Aotearoa, New Zealand on our passports. It has been there for decades, and no one has complained about it." Henare said the government was not focusing on what mattered. "I'm a big advocate for te reo Māori. It's concerning that the government isn't focused on real issues hurting our people, the cost of living. It's absolute silly games... from this government." Henare said he got a clear vibe from South Aucklanders that people wanted a change in government. "The message was very clear as we walked around the Ōtara Market that people want to see the back of this government." Henare said the passing of Takutai Kemp was very sad. But he said that did not mean Labour should not contest the Tāmaki Makaurau seat. "Anybody who thinks a green seat in the chamber of Parliament is a free pass for anybody is absolute folly. "Should I be successful at this by-election, our tuahine Georgia Dansey, a wahine Māori, will be coming into Parliament." He said Labour was seeking a clear mandate to represent Tāmaki Makaurau in the by-election and the 2026 elections. A 2016 and a 2023 New Zealand passport. The older passport features the English words first - a design the government says it will change back to with new passports from 2027. Photo: Natalie Akoorie Chris Hipkins said they would be vigourously campaigning for Henare over the next few weeks. Those on the Māori roll will vote in the Tāmaki Makauru by-election is on 6 September, 2025. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
21-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Urban, Māori and disconnected - the Tāmaki Makaurau by-election
The Hoani Waititi marae in west Auckland. Photo: Pokere Paewai / RNZ Tāmaki Makaurau isn't just any seat; it's a spiritual and political stronghold for urban Māori. Names like Sir Pita Sharples and John Tamihere echo through the halls of its political past, with fierce loyalty often split between Labour's red banner and Te Pāti Māori's fast rising tide. Now, on 6 September, in what is being billed as a pivotal political contest, two Māori heavyweights will vie for that seat in a by-election triggered by the sudden death of Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp last month. On one side is Peeni Henare, the seasoned Labour warrior, once a Cabinet Minister, once the seat's representative, now back seeking redemption . On the other hand, Oriini Kaipara, the former television journalist turned politician, is a fresh face for Te Pāti Māori , with a moko kauae and a mission to amplify the voices of whānau who feel abandoned by politicians - particularly the coalition government. Hannah Tamaki, the wife of Brian, is also standing for Vision New Zealand. National, the Greens, NZ First and ACT have all ruled out participating in the by-election. RNZ Māori news journalist Tu Natanahira tells The Detail the seat is of one of the most strategically important Māori electorates in the country. "First and foremost, the seat is sort of the birthplace of what was then called the Māori Party, now Te Pāti Māori," he says. "All of the conversations, all of the thrust for the party, much of that was discussed out West Auckland at Hoani Waititi Marae, which is also where Oriini Kaipara's selection to run in the seat was announced and decided by Te Pāti Māori members. "The seat ... has an enormous Māori population and importantly, much of that Māori population is pan-tribal and, of course, it is urban. It's a very important seat to get because you get a sense of what urban Māori want or what urban Māori are looking for. "Labour's Peeni Henare, of course, has had a lot of success in that seat." Henare first won it in 2014 and held it until the last general election, when Kemp beat him by just 42 votes. Now he's back, with a promise to rebuild trust and bring Labour's values back to the Māori heartland. Kaipara, a mother of four and a grandmother, wants a focus on Māori families, who, she says, are bearing the brunt of housing shortages and a struggling health system. "Both of the candidates are running on similar platforms, and it all comes down to the cost of living, housing, and making a better life for people living in Auckland," Natanahira tells The Detail . "It's going to be a really tight [race]." So, with less than seven weeks until voting closes, there's no clear favourite. Advance voting will be critical, and turnout will make or break the result. Journalist and Auckland University senior media advisor Te Rina Ruka-Triponel tells The Detail that the now-defunct Treaty Principles Bill and the Regulatory Standards Bill are among the issues that are front of mind for Māori and will "hopefully encourage them to vote". "Reflecting on what's been happening, who is in charge at the moment, and how do our values align with theirs, if they don't, that's exactly why you should vote in the by-election," she says. "But I also want to touch on something really important ... there are many reasons why Māori don't vote - because they don't subscribe to the Crown, they don't believe in the Crown, and it's kind of this never-ending cycle of never having your voices heard. "But I also want to make a point that by voting, we get our people in, and that way our voices are heard. We have got to put someone in there who is going to represent us." Whatever happens, Tāmaki Makaurau will again become a bellwether for the Māori political mood. Is Labour still the party of the people? Or is Te Pāti Māori the new face of rangatiratanga? And only the people of Tāmaki Makaurau will decide which one matters most. Check out how to listen to and fol low The Detail here . You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter .
BBC News
18-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
New Ramsey Commissioner 'ecstatic' to join local authority
A new Ramsey Town Commissioner said he felt "ecstatic" to join the local authority following his by-election Martin was elected in the Ramsey South Ward after picking up 278 of the 554 votes cast on Thursday. The local authority district recorded a 21% voter Jimmy Cubbon and Karl Drinkwater were elected to the local authority in Port Erin after they respectively received 378 and 331 votes. The southern local authority by-election had a 19.4% turnout. 'Hard work begins' Martin said that while Ramsey was not a bad place to live, "I would like to try and enhance what we have got, and hopefully I have got the skills to make that said a "burning issue" was the condition and accessibility of the town's "elated" to win the election, he said "now the hard work begins".It had been a "hard campaign, treading round about, visiting people, finding out what people want from the town", said Martin, who promised to learn how the local authority worked "so you can make a difference and make sure that you can be effective".The by-elections were held after both local authorities failed to attract enough candidates in April's general Commissioners, which had two vacant seats to fill, did not have anybody putting themselves forward. Meanwhile, in Douglas Central Ward only Arwid Hall was two seats to fill, Jurby Parish Commissioners, only had one Allanson has filled one of the vacancies in an uncontested election. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
The Herald
18-07-2025
- Politics
- The Herald
Much at stake in how you cast your vote
And so it starts. In just over a year's time, South Africans will vote in the 2026 local government polls , the country's seventh such election since the dawn of democracy. This week, Nelson Mandela Bay got a taste of what's to come. In what was widely viewed as a litmus test ahead of next year's elections, residents in the Bay's Ward 34 went to the polls on Wednesday in a by-election after the death of DA councillor Johnny Arends in April. While six parties contested, including the National Alliance, ANC, EFF and PAC, the PA and DA were seen as the front-runners in what was expected to be a hotly contested election. In the end, it was just 188 votes that separated the two, with the DA securing 2,382 votes (46.56%) to beat the PA with its 2,194 votes (42.89%). In the 2021 local government elections, the DA won the ward with 63.14% of the votes, followed by the National Alliance (17.12%) and PA (2.78%). So what, you might ask? For those who do not fully understand the difference between the national and municipal elections , these are the elections that determine who will represent us at a grassroots level, possibly for the next five years if there are no by-elections in between. These are the ward councillors, in particular, who will take our concerns — literally from our streets — and place it on the municipal agenda. Our first port of call as citizens as far as service delivery is concerned, these are the councillors — we hope — who will ensure our concerns are addressed. As we edge closer to next year's elections, we expect the campaigning of the past three months in this ward will only intensify as parties vie for the support of voters — and spread to other wards across the Bay. And as they campaign, remember this: the outcome of these municipal elections have the most immediate and visible impact on our daily lives, from the overgrown grass in our parks, to the street lights lining our roads and so much else in between. Take the time over the next few months to understand what political parties offer and reflect on what they have already delivered — or not — as you decide who deserves your vote. But, whatever you do, just vote. The Herald
