What New Zealand’s two votes do in a general election
Mixed-member proportional representation combines local electorate contests with a nationwide party vote.
In a New Zealand general election, voters can cast an electorate vote for a local candidate and a party vote. The electorate vote selects the member for that district. The party vote largely determines the share of seats each eligible party receives in Parliament.
List seats help bring a party's representation into line with its share of the party vote. The electoral commission explains how the eligibility thresholds and electorate results interact. The two counts serve different purposes, even though they are reported together.