Electoral Commission says up to 6,800 residence visa holders may be affected by enrolment issue

The Electoral Commission says it has identified a problem with how enrolment eligibility is processed in its enrolment system. Initial assessments indicate that up to 6,800 people may have been affected, according to RNZ.

Some people with residence class visas who applied to enrol were asked to provide information about their immigration status, even though they did not need to. Enrolling is how people sign up to vote, and the commission's system is where those applications are checked.

The commission says it will contact the affected people to tell them that their enrolment application is sufficient and that they can cast a valid special vote. The Chief Electoral Officer is Karl Le Quesne.

Anyone who is eligible to enrol and applied before the 25 October enrolment deadline can still cast a special vote, the commission says.

To be eligible to vote in New Zealand, a person must be 18 or older. They must also be a New Zealand citizen or a resident for electoral purposes, and have lived in New Zealand continuously for 12 months or more at some time in their life.

People affected by the residence visa enrolment issue can contact the Electoral Commission on freephone 0800 36 76 56.