Saturday, October 3, 2026

The Overhang strategy: How strategic voting could change Parliament

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Independent journalist Chantelle Baker has further highlighted strategic voting under MMP, and how splitting party and electorate votes could shape the make-up of Parliament.

Baker advocated a strategy where voters use their electorate vote for a candidate from one party, while giving their party vote to another. She said this would help win more seats for one party, while shifting party votes to another, potentially creating an overhang.

An overhang occurs when a party wins more electorate seats than its share of the party vote, causing Parliament to expand. “That can be a deciding factor between a left or right government,” Baker said.

Listen or watch RCR’s interview with Chantelle Baker.

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8 COMMENTS

  1. Probably the best glaring example photo of a dirty disgusting serpent-pit that could possibly be shown..
    Quite a relief that the snakes inhabiting the foul interior weren’t zoomed-in on closeup. Uncontrollable retching and spewing
    would’ve been the result if so.. Thanks photographer for sparing us that..

  2. If NZF and ACT voters party voted their own party and electorate voted for National, this would create a over-hang.
    And if National voters voted for their electoral candidate and party voted for National, there party vote would be wasted because there was a overhang.
    Therefore National voters should vote for their electoral candidate and create the over-hang for their party and then vote for NZF or ACT to increase the size of the list seats for NZF and Act and subsequently the size of the Right Block.
    So peoples, tell your National voter friends that this strategy requires their support for National to return to power.

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