RAM election results 2007
SHIFT TO THE RIGHT
Across the board, the right made gains in Greater Auckland's 2007 council elections at the expense of both the political centre (Labour-aligned tickets) and the grassroots left (notably RAM).
Underpinning this shift to the right was the declining minority of the grassroots who voted. The statistics from electoral officials indicate that the non-vote was far greater in modest-income suburbs as compared to wealthier "green leaf" suburbs.
With the middle class leaning right and most of the working class not voting, even Labour-aligned tickets suffered despite offering little that was different to hard right groupings. It appears that traditional conservatives have captured seven seats on Auckland City Council, including recycled mayor John Banks, giving them a 15-5 majority over Labour/City Vision who were the ruling faction last term.
A similar, though less pronounced, pattern can be seen in other councils. One more right-winger was voted onto Manukau City Council, while a neo-liberal hardliner elected in a by-election has been returned to office, which deadlocks Labour and conservatives 9-9. At Waitakere City Council not much appears changed on the surface, but the retreat of the centre can be seen in the disappearance of their collective nametag Team West and their rebranding as "independents".
At Auckland Regional Council, the hard right defeated one Labour-aligned centrist, while Labour captured RAM's single seat, both of which shift the ARC rightwards. The centre and the right now hold six seats each, with the fate of the 13-member ARC hinging on the vote of a maverick conservative who will probably swing right.
The shift to the right has, of course, been unfavourable to RAM. Yet our grassroots coalition still enjoyed significant mass support, ranging from a high of 75.4% of the lowest winning vote to a low of 25.9% in the council elections. Four of RAM's seven ARC candidates scored over 50% of the lowest winning vote, as did two out of six of RAM's Auckland City Council candidates and three out of six of our community board candidates.
RAM's total vote in the Auckland Regional Council and Auckland City Council elections was 100,004. This is a provisional tally which will rise with uncounted votes. RAM also got 17,012 votes for the region's three District Health Boards.
RAM has not won any seats, despite collecting 117,016 votes in total. Here are RAM's results in detail:
AUCKLAND REGIONAL COUNCIL
Manukau
Lowest winning vote - 17,283Robyn Hughes - 13,035, 75.4% of lowest winning vote
Roger Fowler - 10,946, 63.3% of lowest winning vote
Grant Morgan - 9,072, 52.5% of lowest winning vote
Total RAM votes in Manukau ARC - 33,053
Waitakere
Lowest winning vote - 20,348Peter Hughes - 11,757, 57.8% of lowest winning vote
Auckland
Lowest winning vote - 39,370Heather Carolan-Lyall - 14,573, 37% of lowest winning vote
Bronwen Beechey - 10,865, 27.6% of lowest winning vote
Total RAM votes in Auckland ARC - 25,438
Franklin-Papakura
Lowest winning vote - 9,838Kim Myhill - 2,715, 27.6% of lowest winning vote
TOTAL RAM VOTES AUCKLAND REGIONAL COUNCIL
72,993
AUCKLAND CITY - COUNCILLORS
Tamaki-Maungakiekie
Lowest winning vote - 6,555Rachel Asher - 4,087, 62.3% of lowest winning vote
Elliott Blade - 2,814, 42.9 of lowest winning vote
Total RAM votes Tamaki-Maungakiekie - 6,901
Avondale-Roskill
Lowest winning vote - 7,438Valerie Alexander-Vui - 3,990, 53.6% of lowest winning vote
TK Khan - 1,928, 25.9% of lowest winning vote
Total RAM votes Avondale-Roskill - 5,918
Eden-Albert
Lowest winning vote - 4,946Daph Lawless - 1,584, 32% of lowest winning vote
Western Bays
Lowest winning vote - 3,606Geraldene Peters - 1,012, 28.1% of lowest winning vote
TOTAL RAM VOTES AUCKLAND CITY COUNCIL
15,415
AUCKLAND CITY - COMMUNITY BOARDS
Tamaki
Lowest winning vote - 3,578Andrew Wilson - 2,213, 61.9% of lowest winning vote
Shaun Kearney - 2,022, 56.5% of lowest winning vote
Total RAM votes Tamaki community board - 4,235
Eden-Albert
Lowest winning vote - 4,677Lee Wong - 2,591, 55.4% of lowest winning vote
Rafe Copeland - 1,580, 33.8% of lowest winning vote
Total RAM votes Eden-Albert community board - 4,171
Mt Roskill
Lowest winning vote - 5,359
Oliver Woods - 2,110, 39.4% of lowest winning vote
Avondale
Lowest winning vote - 3,015Sam Quayle - 1,080, 35.8% of lowest winning vote
TOTAL RAM VOTES AUCKLAND CITY COMMUNITY BOARDS
11,596
COUNCIL GRAND TOTAL
Total RAM votes in Auckland Regional Council and Auckland City Council (including community boards):
100,004.
DISTRICT HEALTH BOARDS
Auckland
Lowest winning vote - 8,773Rachel Asher - 5,523, 63% of lowest winning vote
Bronwen Beechey - 2,232, 25.4% of lowest winning vote
Heather Carolyn-Lyall - 1,738, 19.8% of lowest winning vote
Len Parker - 449, 5.1% of lowest winning vote
Total RAM vote in Auckland health board - 9,942
Counties-Manukau
Lowest winning vote - 9005Robyn Hughes - 2,406, 26.7% of lowest winning vote
Janice Roberts - 1,589, 17.6% of lowest winning vote
Grant Morgan - 1,101, 12.2% of lowest winning vote
Total RAM vote in Auckland health board - 5,096
Waitemata
Lowest winning vote - 11,459Peter Hughes - 1974, 17.2% of lowest winning vote
ALL-IN GRAND TOTAL
Total RAM votes for Auckland Regional Council, Auckland City Council and the three District Health Boards:
117,016.
Grant Morgan
RAM organiser
634 4432 (w+h)
021 2544 515
grantmorgan@paradise.net.nz
2 comments:
Congratulations on a pretty strong performance. It's never good to lose but 100,000 votes is never something to be sniffed at.
I myself am currently running in a local government election, for the City of Stirling in Western Australia. That is an election quite similar to the one you have just fought (I mean techincally with it being postal voting, politically the situation in Australia is quite different at the moment).
I will have a few comments and some questions as well but I will leave them until next week when my own election is over.
regards Mark Lockett
I would strongly advise that you start on your next RAM campaign by sticking membership subs forms in the newspapers etc to organise your voters into the RAM organisation.I would also like you to become a nationwide Council/DHB ticket,thanks.
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