On Radio New Zealand this morning, the Justice Minister stated the Government was considering ending election day enrolments.
“The Government’s flirting with ending election day enrolments hints at a frightening degree of disdain for democracy and people’s right to have their say. It smacks of the politics of Trump’s America,” says Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick.
“Accessible elections are critical to a functional, inclusive democracy. Any imposed barrier is rightfully open to serious criticism of voter suppression. We’ve seen similar measures disproportionately harm marginalised communities in the likes of the United States.
“Who benefits when we limit people’s ability to engage in our democracy? It’s not regular people. It’s the lobbyists and mega-corporates keen to fast-track their wishlists.
“The Government has already made a mockery of Parliamentary convention since the election, justifying ramming through policies they did not campaign on – like winding back smokefree regulations and public reporting on the fairness of our tax system – in the blink of an eye. Even for them, there’s got to be a line somewhere, and there’s nothing more sacrosanct than free and fair elections.
“The Greens are calling on the Government to immediately rule out any consideration of ending same-day enrolment and voting to put this issue to bed. You’d hope all of Parliament could agree on the importance of upholding accessible elections,” says Chlöe Swarbrick.
