The Justice Committee has kicked off its regular inquiry into the recent General Election, including the cannabis and end of life choice referendums. The committee is calling for submissions from the public with a closing date for submissions of Tuesday, 6 April 2021. This is an opportunity for the public to have its say on New Zealand’s representative democracy.

Members of the public can share their views on any topic related to the 2020 General Election and referendums, or our electoral system generally. The committee has chosen four key themes it is particularly keen to investigate, and is looking forward to hearing the public’s views on the themes. These themes are:

1. The resilience of our electoral system in the face of civil emergencies, with a particular focus on lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic.
2. The integrity and security of our electoral system in light of emerging challenges, with a particular focus on technology and social media.
3. The rise of advance voting, with a particular focus on whether any rules governing the regulated period should change in light of the increase in advance voting.
4. The accessibility of the voting system for people with disabilities and New Zealand’s growing ethnic communities whose first language may not be English.

The Chairperson of the Justice Committee, Ginny Andersen MP, said “We’re very keen to hear what the public thinks about how our democracy is doing. In addition to our big themes, I’m looking forward to hearing the public’s views on the Māori roll and whether voters should be able to change rolls more easily. I’m also interested in how we’re doing on enrolling 16 and 17-year-olds. We need as many young people voting as possible and early enrolment makes a big difference to voting behaviour.”

The committee is aiming to recommend specific changes to improve our electoral system in time for the next General Election. It will also consider the long-term health of the electoral system.

Tell the Justice Committee what you think

Have your say on the inquiry by midnight on 6 April 2021.

For more details:

• Follow the committee’s Facebook page for updates

© Scoop Media