Voting rights

Tu Tangata, Issue 18, 1 June 1984, Page 31

Voting rights

Maori voters may lose their right to vote because of electorate boundary changes and slowness in getting on the revised electoral rolls.

At the end of last month only 80-85 percent of the roll revision cards sent to the four Maori electorates had been returned. This compares with the national average return of 94 percent.

A complete revision of the electoral rolls has recently been done in preparation for this year’s General Election. Last year the Representation Commission changed the boundaries of many electorates, so that they now have approximately the same number of voters in each of them.

Although the four Maori electorates were to have similar populations the commission paid particular attention to tribal affiliations and used maps and other reference material which indicated the historical tribal boundaries.

The changes to the Maori electorate boundaries are shown in the map. If the confirmation card sent to you after the rolls are published shows that you are in a different electorate, it’s because of the boundary changes.

The right to vote for the political candidate of your choice in a Parliamentary election is a basic democratic right in New Zealand.

But to exercise this right you name must appear on the Parliamentary electoral rolls. You can enrol for this year’s election by completing an enrolment form, which is available at any post office.

Printed rolls will be available in early July at post offices, court houses, libraries and citizens’ advice bureaux. All eligible voters should check that their names are on the roll and that all their particulars are correctly recorded.

If your name is not on the roll, or if any of the details are not recorded correctly on the rolls, you should complete a new enrolment form at any post office immediately.