Voters Union

Parliament lawn, Wellington. Three Saturdays at midday.

If you’re eligible, you should be able to vote.

This election the rules changed. If you weren't enrolled 13 days out, you couldn't vote. People who turned up were sent away, and nobody counted them. We're meeting at Parliament to ask for that to be put right.

Come on Saturday Were you turned away?

What changed

In December 2025 Parliament moved the enrolment deadline. These are the facts as reported, each with its source.

  • 13 days

    Enrolment now closes 13 days before election day. This year that was midnight on 25 October, hours before advance voting opened. Until now you could enrol and vote on the same day.1 2

  • 450,000

    In 2023, about 450,000 special votes came from people who enrolled in the last two weeks. Around 110,000 of them enrolled on election day itself.3

  • No count

    The Electoral Commission told staff to turn away people who weren't on the roll and said they weren't enrolled. It did not record how many.6

  • 93.6%

    The share of eligible people enrolled, on preliminary figures, down from 94.7% in 2023. For 18 to 24 year olds the provisional rate was 74.2%, down from 77%.4 5

  • 2nd lowest

    Turnout is on track to be the second lowest in New Zealand's history.7

  • No faster

    The change was meant to speed up the count, and the Justice Minister expected official results within 14 days of election day. The final result is due no earlier than it was in 2023.8 10

They were warned

The Government's own regulatory impact statement said an earlier deadline could reduce participation, and that Māori, Pacific, Asian and younger voters were the most likely to be affected.9

Judith Collins, as Attorney-General, warned the changes appeared inconsistent with the Bill of Rights Act.7

The Electoral Commission told MPs it could not deliver results any sooner than 20 days. Asked why the change was being made, the Chief Electoral Officer said “this is not a change that we recommended”.10

The Commission also said that the last time the roll closed significantly earlier, in the 1990s, there was a “significant increase in the number of disallowed votes”.10

Senior Crown Counsel Jason Varuhas said the deadline was “highly likely” to have a “disenfranchising effect”, that it was “wholly uncertain” it would speed up the count, and that there appeared to be other ways to speed it up without shutting anyone out.10

What the Government says

That everyone had the same chance to enrol before the deadline, and that late enrolments had “placed too much strain on the system”.1 8

We think a deadline is only fair if it doesn't stop eligible people voting. Officials said this one would. The count was no faster. And because nobody counted, we still don't know how many people were shut out.

How the law changed

The Electoral Amendment Act 2025 was a Government bill in the name of Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith (National).b g Parliament passed it on 16 December 2025, and it closes enrolment 13 days before election day, ending the option to enrol and vote on the same day.a b d

Timeline

  1. Paul Goldsmith confirms the Government will introduce the legislation. Opposition parties were not consulted.b e

  2. First reading. Supported by National, ACT and NZ First. The bill is sent to the Justice select committee.b d

  3. The select committee reports back. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori file differing views.b

  4. Second reading. The second reading and committee stage were taken under urgency. Amendments to move the deadline to the day before polling day (Greens) and to the 3rd day before polling day (Labour) did not pass.b c h i

  5. Third reading. The bill passes with the support of the coalition parties.b c

  6. Most of the Act comes into force.a

  7. Enrolment closes, 13 days before election day.a

  8. Election day.

What officials said

The Government
Its stated reason is that closing enrolment 13 days before election day reduces pressure on post-election timeframes and helps deliver timelier results. The regulatory impact statement records the Justice Minister's expectation that official results “should be available within 14 days after Election Day, as was the case prior to 2020”.a g j
Attorney-General
A report by the Attorney-General found the legislation inconsistent with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act.b c
Ministry of Justice
Officials advised that closing enrolment earlier could harm trust and confidence if people could not vote because they missed the deadline.e
Electoral Commission
The Commission told the select committee the changes would not make official results available any sooner than 20 days, because it still forecast around 700,000 special votes. The Chief Electoral Officer said it was “not a change that we recommended”, and that without it the Commission would still aim to process enrolments by the fourth day after the roll closed, with more resourcing.f j
Pre-election estimate
Before the bill passed, RNZ reported that the enrolment changes could prevent 100,000 or more people from voting. This was an estimate made before the election.c

Sources

Links open in a new tab.

  1. Ministry of Justice. Electoral law changes
  2. New Zealand Parliament. Electoral Amendment Bill, progress of the bill
  3. RNZ, 17 December 2025. Electoral Amendment Bill passes its third reading in Parliament
  4. RNZ, 29 July 2025. Electoral Amendment Bill passes its first reading in Parliament
  5. RNZ, 25 July 2025. Ministry of Justice advice on the enrolment changes
  6. 1News, 25 September 2025. Electoral Commission on the timing of official results
  7. New Zealand National Party, 16 December 2025. Electoral reforms pass final reading
  8. New Zealand Legislation. Electoral Amendment Bill, Amendment Paper No 476 (Greens)
  9. New Zealand Legislation. Electoral Amendment Bill, Amendment Paper No 458 (Labour)
  10. RNZ, 25 September 2025. New electoral legislation won't speed up official results

What we want

  1. Bring back enrol and vote

    Whoever forms the next government should commit to reversing the cut-off, so any eligible person can enrol and vote on the same day at every election from here on.

  2. Count who was shut out

    An independent inquiry into how many people were turned away or had their vote disallowed in 2026, and who they were.

  3. An apology

    The politicians who passed this were warned by their own officials and their own Attorney-General. They owe the country an apology.

Were you turned away?

Nobody official counted the people who couldn't vote, so we are. If it happened to you or someone you know, tell us where, when and what you were told. We won't publish your story or your name without asking you first.

stories@votersunion.nz

Come along

When
Saturdays 14, 21 and 28 November 2026, 12 noon. About an hour.
Where
Parliament lawn, Molesworth Street, Wellington.
Bring
A sign you can hold, a raincoat, and one person who has never been to a protest.

How we do it

  • Peaceful, always.
  • Everyone is welcome, whoever you voted for. Leave party banners at home.
  • Signs are handheld. No tents, stalls or structures.
  • Stay off the main steps and keep the entrances clear.
  • Follow the marshals in hi-vis.
  • We leave the lawn as we found it.

Who we are

Voters Union is run by volunteers. We're not part of any political party and we don't mind who you voted for. We care that you could.

hello@votersunion.nz

Sources

  1. 1News, 25 October 2026. Hipkins, Luxon urge Kiwis to enrol before midnight deadline
  2. PMN. Luxon confirms election date; new electoral rules passed in December
  3. 1News, 16 October 2026. How the new enrolment rules could affect the election result
  4. The Post, 3 November 2026. Campaign turning points: the enrolment date deadline
  5. RNZ. Electoral law expert on enrolment changes and the lower enrolment rate
  6. Newsroom, 3 August 2026. Tens of thousands could be turned away from voting, but no one is counting them
  7. RNZ, 9 November 2026. Swarbrick accuses Luxon of 'voter suppression'
  8. NZ Herald. Inside New Zealand's voter enrolment crisis
  9. Te Ao News, 10 August 2026. 3.6 million enrolment packs hitting letterboxes
  10. RNZ, 25 September 2025. New electoral legislation won't speed up official results