Spread the word: enrol to vote

Written By: - Date published: 11:09 am, August 4th, 2014 - 15 comments
Categories: activism, assets, election 2014, Left, poverty, privatisation, Social issues, Spying, unemployment, wages, workers' rights - Tags:

Live News is reporting that 40,000 people have been removed from the electoral roll because they have moved address. Their enrolment update packs were returned to sender with the message: “gone no address”.

Vote2

So the message we all should be passing on to as many people as possible: check whether you are enroled, and if not, enroll now.

People can check their enrolment online at www.elections.org.nz, by calling 0800 36 76 56, or by checking the newly-printed electoral rolls at PostShops and public libraries in their electorate.

The Electoral Commission mailed enrolment update packs to everyone on the electoral roll at the end of June, asking them to check their enrolment details.

“If you are one of those whose pack has been returned to us because you’ve moved house and not updated your enrolment details, you have been removed from the electoral roll and need to fill in a new enrolment form now,” says Mr Wicks.

The Wellington Central electorate has had the most voters removed from the roll with 1,237, while the Waimakariri electorate has had the least with 351.

[…]

“Enrolling is easy. Voters can freetext their name and address to 3676, get a form from a PostShop or call Freephone 0800 36 76 56.  People can also enrol or update their details online at www.elections.org.nz

It’s important for democracy that as many people as possible are enroled, regardless of how they vote.

For the majority of Kiwis, especially those on low incomes, I recommend voting Left:

vote left 2014

 

15 comments on “Spread the word: enrol to vote ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. disturbed 1
    4 August 2014 at 11:31 am

    My comment doesn’t mean we shouldn’t mobilise the voters as we think it is vital they do register to vote, maybe some are now actually homeless.

    My Son is living in Germany and is having issues trying to register there to vote as a Kiwi born citizen , and we would love to register him as we are here for him but no vehicle is available to do this currently.

    So maybe someone can request the Electoral Commission make it available for us parents to make him registered to vote or on proxy to vote for him as to his request?

    Probably due to many now doing it so hard under “Planet Key they are living in sheds, caravans , cars or in the bush and cant get an address at all.

    Welcome to Planet Key.

    • Francis 1.1
      4 August 2014 at 12:05 pm

      There’s information about overseas voting on the Electoral Comission website. The enrolment forms also have fields for people who are New Zealand citizens but live overseas. People who are overseas will also need to request/collect their voting forms themselves, as they will not be sent out automatically.

  2. weka 2
    4 August 2014 at 12:13 pm

    “Tens of thousands of New Zealanders need to get back on the electoral roll now, after their enrolment update packs bounced back marked ‘gone no address’.”

    Sorry to be pedantic and literalist, but I seriously doubt that those packs were returned with ‘gone no address’. The journo should have written that without the apostrophes. I usually just write ‘return to sender’, and/or ‘not this address’.

    Further, the number of people that won’t return packs from addresses no long in use will be reasonably high, so the number of people not enrolled will be higher than the number of packs returned.

    • weka 2.1
      4 August 2014 at 12:13 pm

      I keep forgetting it’s an early election, so I wonder how many people won’t get their papers in on time thinking that it’s still some time away?

    • weka 2.2
      4 August 2014 at 12:16 pm

      “Further, the number of people that won’t return packs from addresses no long in use will be reasonably high, so the number of people not enrolled will be higher than the number of packs returned.”

      Scratch that. I just looked at the form, and if you don’t send it back (either return to sender, or with changed details filled in), then you stay on the roll.

  3. Pete 3
    4 August 2014 at 12:20 pm

    So much for the missing million voters, more wishful thinking (hoping) from the left. At the last census in 2013 20.8% of the population (882,000 people) had lived at their usual residence for less than 1 year. So if 40,000 election packs were returned as indicated, that implies the vast majority of people moving homes do make the effort to remain registered, and thus reinforces the notion that far from there being a million missing voters, the number is actually minimal and likely of negligible effect on the election outcome. Unless, that is, Krim Dot Con holds a big party at his mansion on election day and half of Northland turn ups for the free kai!

    • One Anonymous Bloke 3.1
      4 August 2014 at 3:07 pm

      Racist as well as stupid. Living up to the stereotype because someone has to.

      800,000 less people voted than were on the roll in 2011. A further 200,000 weren’t enrolled at all.

  4. Sable 4
    4 August 2014 at 2:39 pm

    All very good and well. But these parties need to actually start “listening to what people want” if they want someone to take the trouble to enroll and then vote.

  5. Papa Tuanuku 5
    4 August 2014 at 3:41 pm

    The advice should be stronger – if you are not sure if you are on the roll, fill in a form anyway, and double check.

    When i checked my post office the other there were no envelopes, so if i took forms away for others to sign what the hell am i s’posed to do with them.

    • Skinny 5.1
      4 August 2014 at 8:31 pm

      Your absolutely right I was out door knocking and enrolling on Saturday, it is both rewarding and disturbing. The reward is some of the people that I came across were annoyed nothing had arrived in the post and genuinely rapt to be door knocked and enrolled. The disturbing thing was I ran out of enrollment forms and drove to the nearest post shop, they had the forms but ‘no envelopes where the forms were. Any person not sure of the voting thing would take the form fill in and think now what? I had to queue up to ask what’s up, I was told you have to ask for one? What the hell is that about!

      All Party’s campaigning on the Left need to get out there and enroll hard out, drop everything else as the date for returned enrolling is 20th August. I can not reiterate enough the need to drop everything and hit the poor suburbs, shopping centers, outside court houses and WINZ offices, ( both excellent target results) & youth hang-outs.

      Well done Karol for posting this.

  6. Weepus beard 6
    4 August 2014 at 3:46 pm

    Intentional or not, it is another way transient people, renting people, vulnerable people, low income people, or out of work people find it more difficult to vote than those who are lucky enough to be stable.

    This tilts the playing field significantly in the right wing block’s direction and is another example of conservative authority’s lack of interest in the have nots.

  7. Clemgeopin 7
    4 August 2014 at 5:35 pm

    I suspect that most of those 40,000 will be supporters of the progressive parties…..renters, youth, unemployed, the poor and the non privileged …..the once Key so eloquently described as the ‘underclass’!

  8. dave 8
    4 August 2014 at 7:58 pm

    when iam door knocking I tell them if in doubt fill one out. always ask how long they been in the house
    if they’ve been there less than three years get them to fill one in don’t leave it with them take it away put through electorate office or post it for them

  9. millsy 9
    4 August 2014 at 11:42 pm

    I moved earlier this year (a stupid idea, but that’s for another post..), and found it was such a mission to re-enrol. I tried once, but I think I botched it when signing the confirmation, I had to sign it in blue or black pen, rather than red, which I did. I managed to sort it though, and I am all ready to (try and) throw John Key out in September.

The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.