Electoral Amendment Bill passes its first reading in Parliament
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NZ ELECTORAL COMMISSION
Legislation banning prisoner voting and same-day voting has passed its first reading.
The House heard spirited speeches both for and against the changes on Tuesday afternoon.
Government parties argued the bill would overhaul outdated electoral law and make it faster to count votes after election day.
The opposition described the Electoral Amendment Bill as a dark day for democracy, saying the changes would make it harder for people to vote.
The legislation is now off to Select Committee, having passed with support from National, ACT and New Zealand First.
The legislation does not apply to persons who have committed a crime but are detained in a hospital or secure facility.
In 2020, the Labour government amended the law so that only people serving a term of three or more years were disqualified. The National-led coalition government had
earlier signalled the change back
.
... More to come
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