The Electoral Amendment Bill is a highly controversial piece of legislation, undermining democratic rights through measures like banning same-day voter enrolment and targeting Māori voters for deregistration. If Dame Jacinda Ardern had attempted to push this legislation through, there would have been riots on Parliament grounds and wall-to-wall coverage in mainstream media, decrying it as an attack on democracy. Yet, under the National-ACT-NZ First coalition, these moves to rig elections receive scant outrage, revealing a clear double standard. Here is my submission to the select committee, urging you to reject this bill and protect Aotearoa’s democratic integrity. Below is my submission to the parliamentary select committee.
Why the Electoral Amendment Bill Is a Rotten, Undemocratic Mess
- Day Enrolment is democracy
This bill slams the door shut on same-day voter enrolment, forcing you to sign up 13 days before election day, before advance voting begins. Miss that deadline, and you’re locked out. In 2023, 450,000 Kiwis enrolled or updated their details during advance voting, and 110,000 did it on election day. That’s a massive chunk of our people—especially our young rangatahi, Māori, Pasifika, Asian communities, and renters who move around—who’ll get screwed over. The Attorney-General, Judith Collins, even admitted this breaches the NZ Bill of Rights Act 1990, section 12, which says every citizen over 18 gets to vote. No solid reason for this, just some weak excuse about “faster results.” That’s not reform; that’s voter suppression, plain and simple, aimed at silencing voices that don’t sing the coalition’s tune. - Locking Up Prisoners’ Rights
The bill bans all prisoners from voting, no matter how short their sentence. This reverses the 2020 change that let those serving under three years have their say. It’s a straight-up violation of human rights, and the Supreme Court already called out blanket bans like this as rubbish. The Attorney-General agrees the ban is inconsistent with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, but the coalition’s pushing it anyway. Why? Because it hits hard at communities like Māori, who are overrepresented in prisons and less likely to vote for National or ACT. Te Pāti Māori’s Debbie Ngarewa-Packer nailed it, calling this cynical. Meanwhile, if you’re locked up in a hospital or secure facility but not a prison, you can vote—how’s that for a hypocritical double standard? It’s a kick in the guts to our people. - Disenfranchising Māori and Marginalised Whānau
Let’s not sugarcoat it: this bill targets our Māori, Pasifika, Asian communities, young voters, and renters who move frequently. These are the folks most likely to enrol late, and cutting same-day enrolment is like putting a padlock on their ballot box. In 2023, special votes (including late enrolments) leaned toward Labour and the Greens, so it’s no coincidence the coalition’s happy to see these votes vanish. This isn’t just undemocratic—it’s a calculated move to keep power in the hands of the Pākehā elite and their mates. Former PM Geoffrey Palmer called it a “democratic retreat,” and he’s not wrong. It’s a slap in the face to our communities fighting for a voice. - Lame excuse it places pressure on the system
The government claims this bill will cut special votes (20.9% in 2023) to speed up election results, but it’s a weak excuse. Special votes will still pile up from people voting outside their electorate or on the unpublished roll. They’ll still need checking, only to get tossed if the voter’s not enrolled. The Ministry of Justice admitted they’ve got no clue how much this’ll actually help. So, we’re gutting voting rights for what? A maybe-faster count? That’s a pathetic trade-off, and it stinks of a government more worried about winning than democracy. - No Good Reason to Trash Our Rights
The Attorney-General’s report is crystal clear: you can’t mess with the right to vote unless you’ve got a damn good reason. This bill doesn’t. It’s all about “administrative efficiency” while ignoring the coalition defunded the Electoral Commission or kept automatic enrolment updates (which the bill does include) to fix delays without shafting voters. ACT’s David Seymour had the cheek to call late enrollers “dropkicks”—that’s how much this government cares about our citizens. It’s arrogance, pure and simple, and it’s anti-democratic to the core. - Hiding Dirty Money in Politics
Then there’s the sneaky bit about political donations. The bill bumps the anonymous donation cap from $5,000 to $6,000 and exempts parties with expenses under $50,000 from reporting. That’s less transparency, meaning we won’t know who’s bankrolling these politicians this opens the door for rich listers to pull strings behind closed doors. If you want a democracy where the people’s voice matters, not the wallets of the elite, this is a massive step backward. - Voter Deregistration
The Electoral Commission has disproportionately targeted Māori electorates, moving voters to the dormant roll—deliberately, as Māori are predominantly liberal voters. All those voters who have been deregistered will not be permitted to vote on election day. This is not democracy—it’s the actions of a banana republic. - Voter Deregistration and Global Coups
In Zimbabwe (2000–2008), Mugabe’s ZANU-PF purged urban voters—mostly MDC supporters—from rolls, claiming outdated addresses. This fueled 2008’s violent unrest and led to a 2017 military coup as suppressed voters lost faith (Human Rights Watch, 2008). In Kenya’s 2007 election, thousands of Luo and Kikuyu voters were deregistered in opposition areas, sparking ethnic violence that killed 1,300 and nearly triggered a coup, only stopped by mediation (International Crisis Group, 2008). In Georgia, USA (2018), Brian Kemp’s purge of 340,000 voters—70% African-American—fueled “stolen election” cries, weakening democratic trust, echoing coup-prone Venezuela (Associated Press, 2018). Venezuela’s 2000 election under Chávez used voter purges to silence opposition, paving the way for his 2002 auto-coup, dissolving democratic institutions (Carter Center, 2000). Fiji’s 1987 coup followed voter roll manipulation targeting Indo-Fijians, leading to Rabuka’s military takeover when indigenous elites felt threatened (Pacific Islands Monthly, 1987). - No Unity, Just Coalition Gerrymandering
Electoral laws are supposed to have everyone’s buy-in, but this bill’s being rammed through by National, ACT, and NZ First, with Labour, Greens, and Te Pāti Māori telling them to shove it. That’s no way to change the rules of our democracy—it’s supposed to be about consensus, not one side rigging the game. This is a blatant attempt to kneecap voters who don’t back the coalition, and when the Ministry of Justice, the Attorney-General, and electoral experts are all waving red flags—yet the government still charges ahead—you know something’s rotten in Wellington.
The Bottom Line
This bill’s a masterclass in rigging elections to favour the coalition, and history shows that’s a shortcut to coups. By killing same-day enrolment, targeting Māori voters, hiding donations, and ignoring consensus, it’s eroding democracy’s foundations. That’s how you get coups—when trust dies, elites buy out our democratic system, and people hit the streets demanding change. This isn’t just a bad bill; it’s a warning sign. I implore members of the select committee to terminate this bill, by permitting this bill to pass through you are doing a great dis-service to our nation and it is a moment in your political careers you will be ashamed of for the rest of your lives.
