Enrolment drive in full swing

The enrolment drive for the election is in full swing. Enrolment update packs have been sent to all those enrolled – anyone who didn’t get a pack isn’t correctly enrolled to vote. 

Our advertising, communications and outreach programmes are encouraging people to check their details are up-to-date or to ensure they are enrolled.

The last day to enrol and get on the printed ‘check it’ roll is this Friday 20 June.

If you or anyone you know hasn’t enrolled – get them to enrol now. Do it here, or freetext your name and address to 3676, Freephone 0800 36 76 56 or get a form from any PostShop.

Close to 50,000 people removed from the electoral roll

Close to 50,000 people have been removed from the electoral roll in the past month because their enrolment update pack has been returned to the Electoral Enrolment Centre as indeliverable.

• 49,641 people have been taken off the electoral roll

• The Wellington Central, Dunedin North, Ikaroa Rāwhiti, Waiariki and Auckland Central electorates have had the most voters removed from the rolls

• 19,753 (40 percent) removed from the electoral rolls are aged 18 to 29 years

• 90.4 percent of the estimated eligible voting population or 2.836 million are now enrolled to vote

Help spread the enrolment message

Link to our site, or get posters, brochures and enrolment forms directly from us now and help get people enrolled to vote. 

Chief Electoral Office preparations gearing up

The Chief Electoral Office (CEO) is gearing-up to conduct the 2008 general election and although the election date is unknown preparations are well underway.

CEO has completed a nationwide recruitment drive to employ Returning Officers for each of the 63 general electorates and seven Māori electorates. This key group of election staff came together with national office for the first time in February for an initial training and planning session.

Returning Officers have now completed their recruitment drive for electorate headquarter managers and are all receiving training at a specially developed model headquarters in June.

Returning Officers will then begin identifying their potential Polling Places and Advance Polling Places for the 2 ½ week advance voting period as well as Election Day staff. An accessibility assessment will be conducted of all Polling Places to be used on and before Election Day.

Access 08 – May update

Check out the May report back on Access 08 -  the electoral agencies’ disability action plan.

Roadshow encouraging community action for enrolling and voting

Groups working with disabled, young, and new New Zealanders in areas of lower voter turnout or larger populations less likely to feel confident about elections are being reached by the Elections NZ roadshow delivered by an Electoral Commission team in conjunction with Registrars of Electors.  Workshops offer the basics of enrolling, choosing and voting, and introduce participants to background, resources and activities they can use with their own communities, clients or students. 

Elections NZ website makeover

The Elections New Zealand website has been refreshed to: improve navigation and accessibility, better integrate content for different user groups, and reflect new electoral activities.  Information relating to this year's general election is being added progressively.  Key changes include the option for you to subscribe to an RSS feed for the news section.

Enrolling and voting in 21 languages

Census and immigration data has been used to devise the list of 18 migrant languages joining the three official languages used by the electoral agencies to present key information about enrolling, MMP and voting in the general election.  The selection process considered numbers of first language speakers, those without any English, and demographic factors generally linked with lower enrolment and voting rates, together with permanent residency data (and official links where these exist).  All this material can be accessed off the Elections NZ website homepage.  The .PDF language and video NZ Sign Language files will be joined by more video and multi-lingual audio over the next couple of months.

Kids Voting takes off

More than 500 year nine social studies classes have enrolled to vote in Kids Voting, where the students get to vote on facsimile ballot papers early in election week and then get to count and compare their local and national Kids Voting results with the real thing afterwards.  Kids Voting is among a range of learning resources available to schools and community groups.