The Government’s Electoral Law reforms will trample on voting rights and make it easier for wealthy donors to influence our elections in Aotearoa, New Zealand. The changes include:
- Banning enrolments for 13 days before an election
- Banning all prisoners from voting, and
- Raising the donation disclosure threshold from $5,000 to $6,000
The Attorney General, Judith Collins, has stated that these changes will violate the constitutional rights of New Zealanders, and will disenfranchise over 100,000 people.
“This disgraceful decision will prevent over 100,000 people from voting, with our rangatahi, Māori, Pasifika, and Asian communities facing the brunt of this disenfranchisement” said Te Pāti Māori Co-leader and spokesperson for Electoral Law, Rawiri Waititi.
“They are trying to regulate democracy because they are fearful that more of our people are engaging in the voting system than ever before.
“Apparently only the rich should be able to influence our elections, not our hard-working whānau who, on top of a cost-of-living crisis, are having their rights regulated to an inaccessible timeframe to convenience the government’s wallet.”
“Even his mate, Judith Collins, knows this is a horrendous idea that will violate the rights of every person in this country” said Waititi.
“When they removed Māori Wards, dismantled co-governance, and introduced the Treaty Principles Bill, the government claimed that they were ‘strengthening democracy’.
“This announcement confirmed what we already knew to be true: This coalition only cares about democracy when it can be weaponised against Māori.
“My first members Bill targeted the inaccessibility of our current voting system; I introduced the Electoral (Right to Switch Rolls Freely) Amendment Bill to allow our people to switch rolls at any time, without forced defaults or pre-election cut offs, reflecting a transformative vision for Māori electoral autonomy.
“This Bill significantly shaped the Labour Government’s successful legislation, which implemented most of the core reform needed to make a fairer democratic society for those who have been left behind. The changes proposed by this current government take us backwards in our democratic evolution.”
Te Pāti Māori has always been clear: a strong democracy includes everyone – especially those the system has harmed. If we were in power, we would allow people to register to vote at any time, and we would restore the voting rights of all whānau in Corrections facilities. Te Pāti Māori will repeal the proposed changes to the electoral law by this government!
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