The New Zealand government on Tuesday introduced a bill that would prevent people from enrolling to vote on election day and bar prisoners from voting while in jail, a move critics say could reduce voter participation.
The proposed legislation, which passed its first of three readings in Parliament on Tuesday, would allow people to enrol to vote only up to 13 days before an election. Currently, potential voters can enrol up to and on election day.
The bill would also ban all prisoners from voting and require voting to open 12 days ahead of the official election day.
“This bill overhauls a number of outdated and unsustainable electoral laws. The package of amendments will strengthen the system, helping to deliver timely election results, manage costs, clarify rules, and provide more efficient services to voters,” said Minister of Justice Paul Goldsmith, who proposed the bill.
However, a report by Attorney General Judith Collins concluded that the bill “appears to be inconsistent” with the country’s Bill of Rights, including the right to freedom of expression and the right to vote.
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The changes are, in part, prompted by delays in the 2023 election results, when it took nearly three weeks to release an official result due to the high number of special votes.
Special votes are cast by New Zealanders living or travelling overseas, voting outside their constituency, or newly enrolled.
The Attorney General’s report, released publicly on Friday, noted that in the last election, special votes included over 97,000 people who registered for the first time during the voting period, and nearly 134,000 who changed electoral districts during that time.
“This gives some indication of the number of people who may be affected,” said Collins, who is a member of the ruling party.
Duncan Webb, a lawmaker from the opposition Labour Party, on Tuesday called the bill “a dark day for democracy.”
“Politicians should be making it easier for people to vote, not harder. It’s how we make sure that everybody’s voice is heard that everyone gets a say,” he said.
