Auckland man still waiting to be enrolled to vote two months after applying

An Auckland man is still waiting to be enrolled to vote, two months after he applied online for the 2026 general election, RNZ reported.

Sarunkron Ousa is 32 and lives in New Lynn. He is a permanent resident who has lived in New Zealand for five years. If he is enrolled in time, the coming election would be his first time voting in a New Zealand election.

He applied online on 19 August 2026 to join the electoral roll, the list of people enrolled to vote. The Electoral Commission, which runs elections, emailed him in August to confirm it had received his application. He has received no update since then.

When Ousa called the commission's hotline, he was told he needed to prove he was a permanent resident. He had already submitted a driver's licence with his application, and at that stage he was not asked for his visa. He sent his visa to the commission on the Friday before the report was published.

Chief Electoral Officer Karl Le Quesne confirmed that the commission was helping Ousa. He said the commission could not provide details about specific cases, for privacy reasons.

Le Quesne said any eligible voter who completed an enrolment application by midnight on 25 October 2026 would be enrolled to vote. The commission said it will also process enrolment forms received in the post on Tuesday 27 October 2026.

Enrolment closes 13 days before election day, and advance voting starts 12 days before election day. On election day, people can vote at a voting place from 9am to 7pm, according to the Electoral Commission's guidance.

People who want to check their enrolment can call the commission's enrolment team on 0800 36 76 56 or email enquiries@elections.govt.nz.