Christopher Luxon defends voting changes after Judith Collins raises problems
The government’s proposed electoral law changes clash with the constitutional rights of New Zealanders, the Attorney-General has reported.
The report by Judith Collins, said proposals under the Electoral Amendment Bill, including a ban on prisoner voting and same-day voting restrictions, were inconsistent with people’s rights.
Last week the government announced legislation to overhaul electoral laws it said had become “unsustainable”.
The government agreed to close enrolment before advance voting begins, with people needing to enrol or update their details by midnight on the Sunday before advance voting starts on the Monday morning (in other words, 13 days before election day).
The legislation sets a requirement of 12 days advance voting at each election, and the changes would mean special vote processing could get underway sooner.
Collins indicated 100,000 or more people could be directly or indirectly disenfranchised by rules banning enrolment in the final 13 days before an election, with young people and areas with larger Māori, Asian and Pasifika likely to be the worst affected.
She noted there were other options the government could have implemented such as reverting to a deadline of the day before an election or a deadline of three, five or seven days before.
As the Attorney-General, Judith has a legal obligation to challenge any law that is discriminatory.
Despite the PMs defence, this is voter suppression and a gerrymandering of the election rules to favour the Government BECAUSE it’s discriminatory!
That has been cemented into place now by the Attorney-General!
Remember, this could actually be far more than 100 000!
Total special votes last election was 600 000!
We are only focusing on the Election day enrolments which were 110 000 on their own!
The total period of time Goldsmith is proposing lifts that to 600000!
This takes the voting process back to 2002 FFS!
Did you hear that?
National are rolling back voting rights by almost quarter of a century and all this Government has to say is call those voters Drop Kicks?
Let’s also acknowledge that banning all prisoners from voting is also draconian!
The Government are rigging the election to ensure they win and they are doing it right in front of your eyes.
If you won’t stand against this, we have already lost.
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So you are saying that the Right wing voters are smart enough to register for voting but the Left cannot find time over the next 18 months to register or change their details . That would indicate they are happy with the way the country is being run and do not want to change the current government.
Idiot Trevor, he’s saying a right wing Attorney General says this policy is flawed and democracy is compromised. Why is it the ruling right wing government shifting the goal post on something that is working well, if not to slant voting in its favor?
Do you you not agree with Collins?
Maybe we could go back to allowing voting only by males who own property? It’s shortsighted thinking by the shortsighted. As shortsighted as selling NZ citizenships to the wealthy. As shortsighted as fast tracking fossil fuels, when Tasman is getting one in a hundred year floods yearly. As shortsighted as allowing builders to consent their own work. As shortsighted as getting rid of the new ferries, without an alternative in place. As shortsighted as funding a sheep farm in a Saudi desert. As shortsighted as Muldoon getting rid of fully funded superannuation all those years ago, now that we really need it. Can anyone crowdfund specsavers for this mob?
GOVT: We are overhauling electoral laws that have become “unsustainable”.
TRANSLATION: We are rolling out banana republic style discriminatory voter suppression.
GOVT: We are tough on crime.
TRANSLATION: Meth use has doubled during our term.
GOVT: We will increase the number of frontline Police.
TRANSLATION: Australia is taking our frontline Police, because they pay them properly.
GOVT: We are cracking down on gangs.
TRANSLATION: Gangs numbers at highest levels ever.
GOVT: We will reduce those in emergency housing.
TRANSLATION: Explosion in rough sleepers, with authorities confiscating bedding, in midwinter.
GOVT: We are laser focused on growth.
TRANSLATION: People leaving NZ permanently, have grown to one every seven minutes.
GOVT: We are getting over recession.
TRANLATION: We are nearing more recession.
GOVT: We are increasing health funding.
TRANSLATION: The health system is degrading, and the extra funding is only slowing the degrading.
GOVT: We will encourage EV takeup.
TRANSLATION: EV takeup has plumetted.
GOVT: We will cut tax on heated tobacco products.
TRANSLATION: Those great humanitarians over at Phillip Morris are big donors.
GOVT: We want to support women workers.
TRANSLATION: We reversed pay equity laws to steal money off low paid women.
GOVT: Bootcamps are working.
TRANSLATION: Bootcamps are failing.
GOVT: We are getting the country back on track.
TRANSLATION: We have no answer for the cost of living crisis.
GOVT: The opposition is a coalition of chaos.
TRANSLATION: We are shortsighted. We are self serving. We are a coalition. We are in chaos. As is NZ.
What a brilliant post Simple Jack and the reality of life in NZ under the National CoC.
That would indicate they are unhappy with the way the country is being run and do want to change the current government.
The non-vote does not indicate that people are happy with the system, it indicates that they are disallusioned with it.
In power right wing parties generallly deliver for their base, with tax cuts, with cuts to union and worker protections and environmental protections. Left wing parties generally disapoint their base.
RNZ
https://www.rnz.co.nz › news › political › week-in-polit…
14 Jul 2023 — Analysis: Prime Minister Chris Hipkins rules out taxing the wealthy, polls show support for the government slumping,….
Trevor, you consistently take your limited understanding and apply it to other people, which causes you to overlook the full details. What you call smart enough to be enrolled is a stable housing and income situation, which makes registering and staying enrolled easy, while those who do not have that advantage are constantly worrying about their security of housing, income, and even something to eat. Their failure to register on time reflects the stress they are under and not that they approve of the government as any examination of special votes, in particular those for recently enrolled people always favour the left which demonstrates that this change is voter suppression at it’s ugliest.
Trevor doesn’t have a limited understanding. He’s being deliberately obtuse. These people know what the likely outcome will be in terms of support for the Blue Team when you kneecap the special votes, and they’re fine with it. Democracy and the constitutional rights of New Zealanders can go die in a fire as long as the Blue Team wins. Goldsmith, Willis, Luxon and Seymour — they all know exactly what they’re doing and why. They’re just hoping they can get away with it.
Of course, they’ll mutilate the English language on national television in order to make out that they’re doing it for wholly altruistic reasons, but anyone who doesn’t have a skull filled with custard can see it for what it is. NACT trying to screw the scrum because they’re as popular as herpes and haemorrhaging support like a stuck pig.
Incorrect. Higher turnout in general favours the left, but there’s nothing to suggest that all of the voters who registered in the last three weeks leading up to election day itself were left or right wing. Special votes may favour left wing parties by a small margin, but that’s not the same as people who enrolled in the three weeks leading up to the election.
There will need to be a major outreach enrolment campaign by Electoral Commission, political parties and various community groups in public and private spaces to try and offset this filthy attack on democracy.
A significant reason so many enrol during early voting and on election day is transience, renting, precarious circumstances and the breakdown of the postal system-try and find a post box…
Plus, who exactly has been instilling the civic benefits of political participation in the neo liberal era to our young? “Sorted” Natzos etc. in a their own long time homes will vote till the end-the trick in 2026 will be to get the point across to millennials and the rest of the new gens that they now outnumber the codgers…so go for it.
State support for genocide abroad entails repression at home.
A necessart part of the move away from democracy to repression, is voter suppression.
Every change we have made regarding elections has been to increase participation and ensure all people can have their say, make their vote and hopefully feel they have a voice in Parliament.
For the first time we are actively stepping backwards, seeking to limit citizens rights. It is no real surprise that Seymour, Luxon, and Peters are at the heart of this move.
The “s—” you say just got real was even more real for elections 2023, and I believe Judith has been concretely aware for at least a year.
Luxon knows that election was stolen by means of outside facilitation. He should have by now informed Kiwi of this fact.
Never was my Prime Minister.
I do all the proving. What does he do?
WINSTON PETERS, RESIGN
‘Anyone receiving state support forfeits the right to influence how the state is governed. If you rely on the system, you do not get a say in how it operates.’
Well that rules out all members of parliament then.
‘Anyone not born in New Zealand will be permanently barred from voting, regardless of how long they have lived here. Citizenship does not equal loyalty; birthplace matters.’
Well that fucks up all the rich pricks from abroad lured here by the government’s promises.
Where do we get all the Gestapo like organisation to carry out all this proposed regulation? How much taxpayer money would it take.
Make New Zealand great again!
Zelda Aotearoa has always been great.
You do realise that National Superannuation is a benefit (a transfer payment from other taxpayers) right? There will be precious few left to vote at all under your criteria.
Bring on the revolution.
Bro what century do you live in? People want to do things in real time. Rock up on the day register and vote. Just like Amazon’s 1 click purchase not some 2 step process spread over weeks or months. Why does Amazon do that? They want more customers buying. Why would NZ do that? We want more voters voting in a properly functioning democracy.
Dropkicks either can’t see what voters actually want or theyre manipulated by authoritarians who want to hinder democracy.
No.
It’s only the FIVE for sux, if I have druthers.
I like the 19th century system since that’s the one we’ve got at this moment, tyvm.
If I was Judith Collins I would cut my losses now. With Luxon supposedly in charge if this turns to custard then she will be hung out to dry. Luxon, with his enormous ego/vanity is very close to Trumpism. Run for the hills, Judith, run!
Whoa Zelda – a ‘draconian’ post – belongs in the’dark ages’. My lovely mother was Scottish but moved to NZ in her early 20’s having married my NZ born father after WWII. Why should I not be allowed to vote because of that, or my use-by-date is getting closer, despite achieving my 40 yrs of f/t work [taxes pd]? I love my birth country and will do my utmost to continue to fight for fairness, equality and accountability from all who live here. I won’t be mourning those, who have already fled.
“This takes the voting process back to 2002 FFS!”
Way things are going looks like they’ll repeat their 2002 election result as well.
State support for genocide abroad requires state repression at home.
State repression at home requires less democracy at home,
Less democracy at home requires voter suppression at home.
Voter suppression at home enables the state to maintain support for genocide abroad.
The more genocide, the more repression,
the more repression the less democracy.
The less democracy the more repression,
the more repression the more genocide.
What is it that our government and other western governments are supporting abroad, that requires them to crackdown on democracy at home?
The Gaza Massacre: A New Holocaust of Hunger and Silence</b?
By Mohamad Hammoud
…… In northern Gaza, residents have resorted to eating animal feed, grass and leaves. Children have died not only from bombings but also from the lack of necessities like milk and bread. Families dig through rubble, not to rescue the living, but to find something to eat.
And while this slow, torturous death unfolds, the world watches. Worse than watching—it enables.
The so-called international community, led by the United States and much of Europe, condemns civilian casualties with one hand while fueling them with the other. Billions of dollars in military aid, intelligence support, and diplomatic cover keep flowing to “Israel” even as it turns Gaza into a graveyard. Every child killed by a drone, every mother buried under rubble, every starving baby who never wakes up—dies with Western fingerprints [our fingerprints] on their coffin.
The COC know they will be kicked out with a massive landslide against them like never before seen .National will be a small party .National have failed to lead since the election .Luxon the greatest salesman ever seen could not even control a couple of 8% parties in negotiations .No wonder air nz has most of its fleet grounded .
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