Electoral Reform Coalition
|
Electoral Reform Coalition
|
|
|---|---|
| Patrons |
Jack Marshall (1986–1988) Sir Charles Bennett (1986–?) Angela Foulkes (1986–?) Mike Minogue (1988–?) |
| Key people |
Rod Donald (National Spokesman 1989–1993) Phil Saxby (Secretary) |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Headquarters |
 New Zealand
|
| Ideology | Electoral Reform in New Zealand |
| Website | |
| Campaign for MMP | |
The Electoral Reform Coalition (ERC) is a group advocating electoral reform in New Zealand. It was founded in 1986. The group has been reformed as the Campaign for MMP to fight to retain Mixed-member proportional representation at the 2011 referendum on the issue.
The Electoral Reform Coalition was formed in June 1986 to campaign for proportional representation, taking up the goal of a referendum on New Zealand's electoral system in March 1987. It was founded by Roy Middleton, Louis Ehrler and Phil Saxby, who was at the time Chair of the Electorate Committee for Labour MP John Terris. The ERC was formed before the publication of the Report of the Royal Commission on the Electoral System in 1986. The report recommended (amongst other things) that a referendum be held on changing the voting system from First Past the Post to Mixed Member Proportional representation. It was so-called because it consisted of a number of groups in favour of electoral reform, including the Women's Electoral Lobby, Council of Trade Unions, Public Servants Association, National, Labour, Greens, Social Credit and Socialist Unity Party. Both Social Credit and the Values Party (later the Greens) had won significant percentages of votes as a party at general elections, (For example, Social Credit won 20% of votes at the 1981 general election, but only 2 seats) but had won few seats.
In January 1987 the ERC hosted John Taplin of the Proportional Representation Society of Australia to New Zealand, leading to the establishment of several ERC branches around the country. In a leaders debate during the 1987 general election campaign, then Prime Minister David Lange promised a binding referendum on electoral reform. Lange was subsequently forced to back down on the promise. The Justice and Electoral Select Committee produced a report critical of MMP, supporting a Supplementary Member system instead. Lange's successor Geoffrey Palmer stated that proportional representation was "dead" but could be re-visited in "20 years or so".
...
Wikipedia