November 01, 2017
Young voters skip polls
More than a third of enrolled Maori voters under 35 did not cast a vote this election.
The Electoral Commission has released a detailed break-down of voting patterns showing the turnout of voters who have identified themselves as being of Maori descent increased 3.5 percent across the Maori and General rolls, from 67.6 percent in 2014 to 71.1 percent in 2017.
The overall turnout was 79.8 percent, the highest turnout since the 80.9 percent reached in 2005.
However, more than 38 percent of Maori under 30 and 35 percent of those aged 30 to 34 did not vote.
The likelihood of voting increases with age, with more than three quarters of Maori over 50 finding their way to the ballot box.
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