NZ Electoral Reforms Spark Human Rights Concerns
So, there’s been a pretty serious development in New Zealand politics lately. The country's attorney general, Judith Collins, has issued a strong warning to her own government about some major electoral reforms they’re trying to push through. She’s raised red flags that these changes could potentially violate New Zealand’s Bill of Rights and might even lead to more than 100,000 people being disenfranchised—that is, losing their right to vote.
Let me break this down. The government, led by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his right-leaning coalition, has announced plans to tighten up electoral laws. One of the biggest proposed changes is cutting off voter enrolment 13 days before election day. That’s a big shift. Right now, people can actually enrol and vote during the two-week advance voting period, and even on the day of the election, through what’s known as a "special vote."
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Now, Luxon argues that this late enrolment system has caused significant delays in counting votes, sometimes taking weeks. He insists the goal is to make sure people are registered ahead of time to avoid those issues—but that comes with a cost.
Judith Collins, in her report to Parliament, pointed out that during the last general election in 2023, more than 200,000 special votes were cast. Nearly half of those were from people enrolling for the first time or updating their voting details during that period. So, by moving the deadline further back, a huge number of people—especially younger voters and those from Māori, Asian, and Pasifika communities—could be cut off from voting altogether.
She also raised another serious issue: the government’s plan to fully reinstate a ban on prisoner voting. According to Collins, that move simply can’t be justified under human rights law. Her report says it would unjustly strip away the voting rights of people who, legally speaking, still hold that right.
Even though the Prime Minister says they’ll consider Collins’ advice, he hasn’t indicated any intention to stop or slow down the reform plans. Meanwhile, opposition parties are coming out swinging. Labour’s justice spokesperson, Duncan Webb, called the proposed changes “appalling,” saying the government should be making it easier for people to vote, not harder.
So, what we’re seeing here is a pretty intense clash between legal responsibility, democratic access, and political control. It’s not just a technical tweak to election laws—it’s a move that could reshape who gets to have a say in the country’s future.
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