New Zealanders abroad urged to enroll for the election as new law locks out last-minute voters

New Zealand’s Electoral Commission has launched a campaign urging citizens both domestically and abroad to enroll or update their voter details, following a recent legal change ahead of the upcoming election on November 7. This shift in policy, enacted by the government in December, now requires New Zealanders aged 18 and above to register and provide their address and other information 13 days prior to the election, or risk being denied entry at polling stations. This change removes the previous allowance for last-minute enrollment, including on election day.

The enrollment deadline for this year is October 25, with voting commencing on October 26 for those in New Zealand, and October 21 for overseas voters. The center-right government, currently seeking a second term in power, introduced this enrollment cut-off in a series of electoral law changes, alongside restrictions on prisoners voting and increased anonymous political donations.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon defended the new deadline, stating it was implemented to expedite the vote counting process, which had taken three weeks in the past due to on-the-day enrollment. However, critics, including the opposition Labour party, argued that the government's primary motive was to limit so-called special votes cast by overseas New Zealanders and those unable to register by election day. These special votes have historically benefited left-leaning parties.

Despite the new deadline, the Electoral Commission anticipates that reaching a final election result will still take around 20 days, a reduction from the previous 23-day timeframe without the cut-off.