April 10, 2017
Compulsory voting lets parties off hook says PM
Prime Minister Bill English has poured cold water on calls from three former prime ministers for compulsory voting.
He says an important part of an election is for politicians to motivate their voters to turn out, whether by policy releases or direct contact like door knocking and social media.
That applies even to groups like Maori, who traditionally have voted in lower numbers.
"The Maori Party have been at the table in Government . They have achieved an awful lot. That motivates some of the Maori voters. There is a lot of agitation among the Maori vote with Labour on the back foot, the Maori Party (Mana) deal, the Greens trying to get more Maori votes. Of course National is always interested in getting those votes because we believe we have made a lot of progress on Maori issues and we would like to have the support to make more progress," Mr English says.
FULL INTERVIEW WITH BILL ENGLISH
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