July 01, 2022
More roll choice for Māori voters
Parliament has passed the first reading of the Māori Electoral Option Bill, which will make it easier for Maori voters to switch between the Maori and general electoral rolls.
However, the Greens’ spokesperson for electoral reform, Golriz Ghahraman, says it doesn’t go as far as her Strengthening Democracy Bill, because it prevents voters from switching rolls to vote in by-elections.
The Greens will argue at the committee stages for that exception to be removed.
She says evidence from the Electoral Commission shows 24,000 Māori wanted to switch electoral rolls in 2020 but were prevented from doing so by the current rules.