The Prime Minister has announced this year’s general election will be held on Saturday, 19 September. At the same time, two referendums will be held. When the republic referendum happens, should it be at the same time as the general election?
There are two schools of thought on this. One is that holding a referendum is an expensive exercise - we all remember the criticism of the flag referendums of 2015-16 on the basis that they cost taxpayers a lot of money. Therefore, if referendums are to be held they ought to be the same time as the general election because that ensures it’s both cost-effective and has decent turnout. One of the other criticisms of the first flag referendum in 2015 was that turnout was below 50%, bringing into question the legitimacy of the process.
The other school of thought is that it is better to hold referendums separate from general elections to ensure party politics doesn’t play a part in people’s decision making, and that referendum campaigns don’t get entangled in party campaigns. Of course, we know again from the flag referendums that it is sadly unavoidable for party politics to play a part in referendum campaigns. In fact, I would argue that holding the referendums at the same time as a general election might have prevented this. Politicians tend to be focused on getting re-elected and not a referendum campaign that might lose them votes.
The MMP referendum of 2011 proves this point. There was very little campaigning by politicians on the issue of the electoral system, beyond some commentary. In the main, the politicians focused on getting re-elected, and not the electoral system.
Would it make sense then to have the vote on our head of state at the same time as a general election? Yes, it would. We would avoid the cost of a postal ballot, and maximise turnout. It’s just a matter of timing. Our policy is clear - we want parliament to put in place an appointment process for the governor-general first, then hold a simple yes or no referendum on becoming a republic. If that referendum succeeds, then the other issues (direct or indirect election) can be decided upon.