Electoral Reform Coalition PO Box 4393, Christchurch, Ph: 03 372 1375 http://www.stvnz.org

11 December 2002

14,000 strong STV petition to be presented on Thursday

Electoral reform campaigners will present a 14,000 strong STV petition to the Christchurch City Council this Thursday calling for a referendum on how the council is elected.

Petition organisers will hand over the signatures to supportive councillors in the city council foyer at 1.45pm and the councillors will then present the petition to the mayor at the commencement of the council meeting at 2.00pm.

"We're delighted to have received such strong support backing from the people of Christchurch for a referendum on STV (single transferable vote)," said coalition chairperson Rod Donald.

"Support for the referendum has grown rapidly in the last few weeks, especially since Wellingtonians voted in favour of STV in their recent referendum.

"Many people supported the petition because they had voted for STV when it was an option for parliament while others strongly believe that the people of Christchurch should decide how the council is elected rather than the councillors deciding for themselves," he said.

With 14,800 signatures in hand Rod Donald is confident that after they have been checked by the council there will be at least the 11,404 valid signatures needed to trigger a binding referendum on STV.

"Our next challenge is to explain to the voters of Christchurch all the benefits of STV, including how easy it is to use, and why it works better than first past the post.

"We will be mounting a city wide public awareness campaign in the new year to encourage people to make their vote count by supporting the change to STV," he said.

For further information contact: Rod Donald Chairperson Electoral Reform Coalition (Christchurch) Ph: 0274 507 183

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