All about the upcoming election
Do you have some questions about the upcoming election? You’ll find everything you need to know at www.electionresults.govt.nz.
Who can enrol to vote?
Only those who are enrolled can vote in the general election.
In New Zealand people must enrol if they: are 18 years or older, and are a New Zealand citizen or a permanent resident of New Zealand, and
have lived in New Zealand for more than one year continuously at some time in their life. Is enrolling compulsory? Yes. It is a legal requirement to enrol to be registered on the Electoral Roll.
However, voting is not compulsory in New Zealand.
Which electorate should a person enrol in?
You should enrol in the electorate you last resided for one month or more.
If you have had to temporarily or occasionally move away from home for work or study, or because of a natural disaster, you may still enrol at the address you call home even though you may have been away from this address for more than one month.
What can cause someone to be removed from the roll?
The main reason people are removed from the roll is if they have moved and not updated their address details by reenrolling.
The Commission will send out enrolment update packs to enrolled voters and if packs are ‘‘returned to sender’’, after making enquiries where practicable, those voters are taken off the electoral roll.
You can be removed from the roll if you are imprisoned following a criminal conviction. How do people enrol? Voters can enrol or update details by filling in an enrolment form.
You can get an enrolment form online at www.elections.org.nz, by calling Freephone 0800 36 76 56, or by free texting 3676.
Enrolment forms are also available at PostShops, and this year, people will be able to enrol at an advance voting place.
How can people find out what electorate they are in?
Check enrolment details at www.elections.org.nz.
This will tell you what electorate you are enrolled in.
Maps of all electorates are available on the website.
You can also check the electoral rolls at PostShops and public libraries.
How will people know if their electorate has changed?
There are no changes to electorate boundaries for the 2017 General Election.
The last time the boundaries were adjusted was before the 2014 election.
The next review is due to be held in 2019 after the Census and Maori Electoral Option.
What’s the difference between the General Roll and the Maori Roll?
Maori voters can choose to go on the General Roll or the Maori Roll either when enrolling for the first time, or during the Maori Electoral Option which is held every five years.
Voters on the General Roll vote for an MP in a general electorate, and voters on the Maori Roll vote for an MP in a Maori electorate.
The type of roll voters are on makes no difference to who you can vote for with you party vote. When can people vote? Voting starts in New Zealand on Monday September 11 when advance voting places open and goes through until election day on September 23. Who can vote in the election? Anyone eligible who is enrolled by September 22, the day before election day, can vote in the election.
Voters who enrol by Wednesday August 23 will receive an EasyVote information pack about a week before the election.
The pack will include a personalised EasyVote card which will make voting quicker.
What about people who will be away from home at the time of the election?
People can vote at any voting place in the country, but if you are voting outside your electorate you will need to complete a special vote.
How many voting places will there be?
Approximately 400 advance voting places will be open from September 11, and there’ll be approximately 2,500 voting places open on election day, 23 September. Why can’t people vote online? We don’t have online voting in New Zealand.
It’s up to Parliament to make decisions about changes to the voting system, like online voting. Election Results When will the election results be announced?
First results will be released progressively from 7pm on September 23.
The official results are expected to be declared by 2pm Saturday October 7. Where can we get the results from? Election results will be available progressively and in real time from 7pm on September 23 at www.electionresults.govt.nz. Source: elections.org.nz