‘Absolute bullshit’: Labour decries enrolment restrictions as ‘evil agenda from the right’
Tuesday, 21 July 2026
Senior Labour MP Damien O’Connor has condemned enrolment restrictions brought in by the coalition, but National’s campaign chairperson says people have plenty of time to act.
The Government has scrapped same-day enrolments and changed electoral rules so voters can’t update their electorate details once the advance voting period kicks in on October 26.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has argued the changes will make for a faster vote count by the Electoral Commission - a claim chief electoral officer Karl Le Quesne has disputed on the basis special votes still need integrity checks.
“It’s absolute bullshit,” O’Connor told reporters on Tuesday morning. “And it's quite an evil agenda from the right, as we're seeing around the world, that's just been brought into the New Zealand democracy and that is an outrage.”
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It comes after Labour leader Chris Hipkins slammed the Electoral Commission on Monday, saying it was not doing enough outreach.
“As a local MP, I'm still dealing with people all of the time who are not on the electoral roll and don't know that they're not on the electoral roll, and that is a failing by the Electoral Commission.”
Labour's campaign chair Kieran McAnulty said his team was helping people to enrol at local markets in Wairarapa, reporting many were not aware their details could be out of date if they had recently moved house.
Goldsmith has dismissed these criticisms as “speculation”.
“It seems odd for them to suggest their own voters are inherently more disorganised,” he said.
Goldsmith said late enrolments placed too much strain on the system and the electoral changes, while significant, were necessary.
“What it provides is if you’ve got the roll concluded, and people need to be enrolled before voting stars, it just means that the whole process can be started faster, and will have fewer votes,” he told The Post.
“And the primary message that I've given to the Electoral Commission, of course, is to encourage as many people to be enrolled before writ day, which is even earlier, so that they're on the formal roll. They don't have to cast special votes and it's easier.”
Asked if it would be acceptable to him if fewer votes were cast in November, Goldsmith said “no”.
“We've got plenty of time for people to get enrolled, and that is their role.”
“Turnout actually fluctuates a lot between elections, and it's the primary role of politicians to persuade people to come out and vote for them.”
National’s campaign chairperson Simeon Brown said people were “absolutely” aware of the electoral changes and had plenty of time to add or update their details.
“The rules are very clear and obviously everyone needs to be enrolled. It's by law, and we obviously do our part to make sure people are [enrolled].
“There’ll be an advertising campaign which will be run by the Electoral Commission, there's plenty of opportunity for people to enrol, plenty of time.”
Goldsmith said people would need to make sure they were enrolled - and their details updated - by midnight on Sunday October 25, before advance voting opens on the morning of Monday October 26.
“It will take a concerted effort to turn the ship around and address the trends of later enrolments and more special votes.
“Unlike Mr Hipkins and Mr O’Connor, I have every confidence in the Electoral Commission to deliver.”
O’Connor said restricting enrolments undermined “basic democracy” as there was “always a large number of people” who needed to show up on the day.
“It's the basic tenets of democracy but this coalition, and from the far right around the world, they've been determined to cut out and eliminate people who are more mobile, who are less well resourced, who basically are at the poorer end of our society spectrum.”
Voters have been able to enrol or change their enrolment during the advance voting period for decades, and have been able to do so on election day since 2020.
At the last election 230,000 voters either enrolled on the day or in the lead-up to the election. They would not have been allowed to do so under the proposed law.
The Electoral Commission itself has estimated that 55,000 votes could be “disallowed” under the new law, up 11,000 in 2023.
It estimated 73,000 people could have their electorate votes disallowed but their party votes counted, as they were enrolled to vote but not at the proper address.