Latest news with #electionreform
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Voting reforms, prisoner bans and enrolment changes - What you need to know about the Electoral Amendment Bill
A proposed bill would make several changes to how elections are run before the 2026 election. Photo: RNZ / File Explainer - The Electoral Amendment Bill faces its first reading today in Parliament. But what does it actually say? The government has announced sweeping plans to change electoral processes before the 2026 election. In announcing the bill last week , Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said the government was "overhauling outdated and unsustainable electoral laws". However there's been pushback at the proposed changes, especially the elimination of Election Day enrolment. The bill is set to face its first reading in Parliament on Tuesday afternoon. Here's a breakdown of what the bill proposes and the reaction to it. The Electoral Amendment Bill claims it "makes a range of systems improvements to support the timeliness, efficiency, integrity, and resilience of the electoral system". It makes a suite of changes including ending same-day voter enrolment, banning prisoner voting, changes to treating on Election Day and expanding anonymous political donation limits. Here's the main points. Same-day enrolment will be a thing of the past if the bill passes. "Allowing late enrolments, however well intentioned, has placed too much strain on the system," Goldsmith said. "The final vote count used to take two weeks, last election it took three. "If we leave things as they are, it could well take even longer in future elections. The 20-day timeframe for a final result will likely already be challenging to achieve at the next election without changes." Voters had been able to show up during the advance voting period and enrol at the same time, as well as on Election Day, with their vote being counted as a special vote. The government wants to close enrolment before advance voting begins, with people needing to enrol or update their details by midnight on the Sunday before advance voting starts on the Monday morning (in other words, 13 days before election day). The legislation sets a requirement of 12 days advance voting at each election. The changes could mean special vote processing could get underway sooner. Speaking to Morning Report this week, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said "we want enrolment to happen before early voting starts". "The experience last time was by virtue of having on the day enrolment we ended up in a situation where it took us three weeks to count the vote, which was the longest it had ever taken us as well. "We want everyone to participate, you've got plenty of time to do so. "They can participate in the voting, they just need to do it and get themselves organised earlier, that's all." University of Otago law professor Andrew Geddis said the change might affect future election results and how they lean politically. "As a whole, since 1999 special votes have favoured the parties of the left - resulting in their picking up one or two more seats in the House at the expense of parties on the right. Restricting same day enrolment and voting can thus be predicted to reduce the number of votes cast by groups that support left-of-centre parties." However, he said that impact could be offset by voters enrolling earlier. "However, the groups most affected here - younger voters, those who are transient, and minority populations - are the hardest to reach through education campaigns and the like. That means we can predict that there will still be a substantial number of people not properly enrolled when voting commences, who will as a result lose the right to have their vote counted." The changes won't actually stop people from casting a ballot on election day, he said. Special votes must still be processed. "It's just that they won't be included in the final vote count once it is determined that the person has not enrolled to vote by the required time," Geddis said. "As such, the effectiveness of this change in reducing the burden on electoral officials is open to question." The bill would also introduce automatic enrolment updates so the Electoral Commission can update people's enrolment details using data from other government agencies, and remove postal requirements for enrolment. Special votes on Election Day take longer to process. Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro Special votes are anyone who isn't on the electoral roll or unpublished roll, lives overseas or vote away from a polling place because they can't get to one. The number of special votes have been growing which has resulted in seats swinging in the final count compared to election night. In 2023, nearly 21 percent, or 603,257 of all votes cast, were special votes . Only 78,030 of those were from overseas voters. Processing them takes more time than regular votes. Goldsmith said late enrolments placed too much strain on the system. "If we leave things as they are, it could well take even longer in future elections. The 20-day timeframe for a final result will likely already be challenging to achieve at the next election without changes." The bill disqualifies all prisoners convicted and sentenced from enrolling and voting while in prison. It doesn't 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 . "Everyone understands that if you violate the rights of others, you surrender certain rights of your own," ACT justice spokesperson Todd Stephenson said. "Reinstating the ban on prisoner voters makes the consequences for crime clearer." Attorney-General Judith Collins. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER Some have said the new bill will disenfranchise voters, while others are applauding it. "This is a significant, but necessary change," Goldsmith said. "The Electoral Commission will have plenty of time to run an education campaign to ensure people understand the new requirements." In a Regulatory Impact Statement prepared earlier this year , the Ministry of Justice did not support closing enrolment earlier. "Its impact on reducing special votes is uncertain, while its impact on democratic participation could be significant," officials said. And the government's Attorney-General, Judith Collins, has also said the legislation could breach the Bill of Rights. In a report , Collins concluded that the bill appeared inconsistent with the right to vote, to freedom of expression and the rights of prisoners in certain circumstances regarding changing penalties. She pointed to section 12 of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 , which states that every New Zealand Citizen who is of or over the age of 18 has the right to vote. "The accepted starting-point is the fundamental importance of the right to vote within a liberal democracy," the report states. "A compelling justification is required to limit that right." Geddis said that Collins' report was not surprising. "We know that banning all prisoners from voting is inconsistent with the Bill of Rights as the Supreme Court has declared this to be so. And in relation to removing same-day enrolment and voting for the entire voting period, the fact that there are other ways to address the problem of a slow vote count without taking away people's right to vote means it is not a justified limit. As such, the Attorney-General's conclusions are to be expected." Green Party spokesperson for Democracy and Electoral Reform Celia Wade Brown said: "These changes represent a dark day for our democracy. "Requiring enrolments before voting starts will see even more people miss out from expressing their democratic right. In the last General Election, over 200,000 people enrolled to vote or updated their details in the last 12 days. These changes would see all of these people miss out on having their say." ACT's Stephenson disagreed, calling late enrollees "lazy". "Democracy works best when voters are informed, engaged, and take the process seriously. It's outrageous that someone completely disengaged and lazy can rock up to the voting booth, get registered there and then, and then vote to tax other people's money away." ACT leader David Seymour. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii ACT leader David Seymour also weighed in for the change, saying "frankly, I'm a bit sick of dropkicks that can't get themselves organised to follow the law." Those comments were later called "unhelpful" by Justice Minister Goldsmith. "I disagree with that language ... It's not language I would use," Luxon told Morning Report . Geddis said it was worrying to see an "apparent dismissiveness" by the government of concerns. "They are being warned that their proposed legislation will remove a fundamental right from thousands of New Zealanders without good enough reason. "Their response then seems to be that this is a trifling matter which can be overlooked because it is easier and more administratively convenient to simply stop allowing same day enrolment and voting. "Or, even worse, that the people whose rights are being limited are just 'dropkicks' who do not deserve any respect." The government has also announced that it will slightly increase the threshold for anonymous political donations. "The donation threshold for reporting the names of party donors is also being adjusted from $5000 to $6000, to account for inflation," Goldsmith said. The Greens' Wade Brown criticised that. "While the government has taken away votes from people in prison and made it harder to vote in general, it has made it easier for wealthy people to donate to political parties from the shadows by raising the disclosure threshold to $6000," she said. Treating is the practice of influencing a voter by providing them with free food, drink, or entertainment. It's already an offence, but the bill aims to make it clearer what exactly isn't allowed . The bill creates a new offence that prohibits the provision of free food, drink or entertainment within 100 metres of a voting place while voting is taking place. It will be punishable by a fine of up to $10,000. "There has been some confusion in the past around what is and isn't treating," Goldsmith said. "This will make the rules crystal clear." Election advertising or campaigning is not permitted within 10 metres of a voting place during advanced voting, and not at all on election day itself. In a Regulatory Impact Statement, Ministry of Justice officials said controlled areas around voting places would make it more straightforward to identify and prosecute offending and was more readily enforceable than the status quo. "The offence will not require that a person intends to corruptly influence an elector. Instead it will only require that they knowingly provided food, drink and entertainment within the controlled area," they said. But it was not their preferred option. "A key drawback of this option is that it is a blunt tool which does not exclusively capture harmful or corrupt behaviour. It draws a superficial line around voting places which may be arbitrary if the influencing behaviour occurs just outside the controlled area." Complaints about possible breaching of treating by providing food at a polling booth at Manurewa Marae were investigated after the 2023 election. It found those did not meet the test for treating. The bill will now go before Parliament in a first reading. Photo: VNP / Phil Smith The first reading today will determine the path forward for the bill. If it passes a first reading, it's referred on to a Select Committee for further development, then will be further considered by Parliament. Geddis said these reforms were left to a simple majority of votes in Parliament like any other piece of legislation. "Because the government has a majority in Parliament, if it wants to do this, it can. It's just a question of whether it's the right thing to do," he told RNZ's Checkpoint . 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Fox News
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
UK government to lower voting age to 16 before next national election despite strong conservative opposition
The United Kingdom is lowering the voting age from 18 to 16 before the next national elections – a move which opposition figures decry as a way to sway the electorate to benefit the left. The U.K. government, controlled by the Labour Party, announced Thursday that 16- and 17-year-olds will be given the right to vote as part of other new "seismic changes." Other election reforms include extending voter ID to bank cards, issuing new rules meant to "guard against foreign political interference and abuse of campaigners," and tightening laws restricting foreign donations to British political parties. In an accompanying policy paper included in the announcement, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said that "declining trust in our institutions and democracy itself has become critical, but it is the responsibility of government to turn this around and renew our democracy, just as generations have done before us." "I think it's really important that 16- and 17-year-olds have the vote because they're old enough to go out to work, they're old enough to pay taxes, so to pay in. And I think if you pay in, you should have the opportunity to say what you want your money spent on, which way the government should go," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters on Thursday. "I'm really pleased that we're able to bring more young people into our democracy." "Young people already contribute to society by working, paying taxes and serving in the military. It's only right they can have a say on the issues that affect them," Rayner wrote on X. The deputy prime minister also elaborated in a statement, adding: "We cannot take our democracy for granted, and by protecting our elections from abuse and boosting participation we will strengthen the foundations of our society for the future." The minimum age of service in the British Armed Forces is 16, but those under 18 need written consent from a parent or guardian and may not be deployed to combat zones. British opposition politicians accused the Labour Party of trying to manipulate the electorate in their favor by lowering the voting age. "Why does this government think a 16‑year‑old can vote but not be allowed to buy a lottery ticket or an alcoholic drink, marry or go to war, or even stand in the elections they're voting?" Member of Parliament (MP) Paul Holmes, a conservative, said in the House of Commons on Thursday. "Isn't the government's position on the age of maturity just hopelessly confused?" Holmes accused Labour of "governing by press release" and questioned whether allowing bank cards – which do not include photographs – as a form of voter ID will undermine security measures at the ballot box. Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing Reform UK Party, said giving 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote "is an attempt to rig the political system." "The problem with this is, not only do half of youngsters not want the vote, but they have to stay at school now until they're 18," Farage said in a video shared to X. "The educational establishment is full of left-wing prejudice, is full of anti-reform bias, and frankly, if 16 to 18 year olds at school are going to be able to vote, we're going to have to make sure that our education system is teaching kids to make their own minds up and not indoctrinating them." The change still requires parliamentary approval but was a campaign promise by the Labour Party, which won last year's general election and holds majority control. The next general election is in 2029. Rayner noted that 16- and 17-year-olds can already vote in Scotland and Wales in local elections and country-level parliamentary elections. The minimum voting age for local elections in England and Northern Ireland is 18. In an opinion piece in the British newspaper "The Times," Rayner, who was a single mother at the age of 16, said the change makes 1.6 million 16- and 17-year-olds eligible to vote in the United Kingdom, which has a population of roughly 68 million. "This is about fairness and transparency and giving the young a stake in our country's future, bringing them into our communities, not excluding them," Rayner wrote. "It's about delivering on our manifesto to commitment to secure votes at 16. But it's also about strengthening our electoral system so that it is fit for the 21st century — because we cannot take our democracy for granted."
Reuters
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Evolution of the UK electorate from landowners to suffragettes to 16-year-old voters
LONDON, July 17 (Reuters) - Britain on Thursday set out plans to lower the voting age to 16 in a landmark reform to the process that underpins one of the world's oldest parliaments. Who can currently vote? At present, anyone aged 18 or over can vote in UK general elections if they are a British citizen, a qualifying citizen from the Commonwealth group of former British colonies, or a citizen of Ireland, and are registered to vote. Members of the upper house of parliament and convicted prisoners serving a sentence are excluded from the franchise. When did parliament get elected representatives? In 1295, the English parliament, then made up of nobles and bishops, was extended to include elected representatives, setting the model for future parliaments. How was the electorate restricted? In the 15th century, the vote in England was restricted to men who owned freehold land worth at least 40 shillings, narrowing the electorate to wealthy landowners. The English and Scottish parliaments passed a law in 1707 uniting the two countries into one sovereign state called Great Britain. At this time, the right to vote was still severely restricted. About a century later, Ireland merged into Great Britain to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. When was the first UK election? The first ever UK general elections ran from July 5 until August 14 in 1802. In 1832, the vote was extended to more men by a broadening of the property qualification, while parliamentary seats were redistributed to better represent rapidly growing towns and cities. But the legislation defined a voter as a male person, formally excluding women from voting in elections. Before that, there were occasional instances of women voting. When did women get the vote? Women were granted the right to vote in stages, starting in 1918 when women over the age of 30 who owned a property or were married to a property owner were given the right. All men over the age of 21 were also given the vote at this stage. Ten years later, the vote was finally extended to all women over the age of 21, before the age was lowered to 18 for both men and women in 1969. What earlier efforts were made to move the age under 18? A bill to reduce the voting age to 16 failed to pass due insufficient parliamentary support in 2008. Proposed legislation giving 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote in Scottish parliamentary and local elections was passed by the Scottish Parliament in 2015, broadening the electorate in Scotland's devolved administration. Four years later, the Welsh Parliament followed with a similar bill, marking the largest franchise extension in Wales since 1969. Which countries have lowered the age below 18? If the plan to lower the age to 16 is passed, Britain would be on par with Austria, Nicaragua, Argentina and Malta, according to U.S.-based research group World Population Review. The age is still 18 to vote in a national election in most major economies, from the United States and Germany in the west to China and India in the east. What were other notable reforms to the UK system? The state began cracking down on illegal practices, such as bribing, in the voting system as early as 1872, through the Secret Ballot Act, enabling people to vote in private without being intimidated into voting for a particular party. Before the turn of the century, attempts to bribe voters were criminalised, with more severe fines and in some cases imprisonment set as punishment. In 2022, Boris Johnson's government introduced a requirement for voters to show photo ID while voting to crack down on possible voter fraud.
CBS News
17-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Britain to lower voting age to 16 before next national election, government announces
London — Britain will lower the voting age from 18 to 16 by the next national election as part of measures to increase democratic participation, the government announced Thursday. The center-left Labour Party pledged before it was elected in July 2024 to lower the voting age for elections to Britain's Parliament. Scotland and Wales already let 16- and 17-year-olds vote in local and regional elections. Britain will join a short list of countries where the voting age is 16, including Austria, Brazil and Ecuador. A handful of European Union countries, including Belgium, Germany and Malta, allow 16-year-olds to vote in elections to the European Parliament, but not their national legislatures. The move comes alongside wider reforms that include tightening campaign finance rules to stop shell companies with unclear ownership from donating to political parties. Democracy Minister Rushanara Ali said the change would strengthen safeguards against foreign interference in British politics. There will also be tougher sentences for people convicted of intimidating political candidates. Additionally, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government said it will introduce automatic voter registration and allow voters to use bank cards as a form of identification at polling stations. The previous Conservative government introduced a requirement for voters to show photo identification in 2022, a measure it said would combat fraud. Critics argued it could disenfranchise millions of voters, particularly the young, the poor and members of ethnic minorities. The law ironically caught out the man who had helped to usher it onto the books, when former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was turned away from his local polling station last year after forgetting to bring his photo ID. Britain's elections watchdog agency, the Electoral Commission, estimates that about 750,000 people did not vote in last year's election because they lacked ID. Turnout in the 2024 election was 59.7%, the lowest level in more than two decades. Harry Quilter-Pinner, head of left-leaning think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research, said the changes were "the biggest reform to our electoral system since 1969," when the voting age was lowered to 18 from 21. The changes must be approved by Parliament, but Starmer's Labour Party currently holds an overwhelming majority of the seats, so it is likely to pass easily. The next national election must be held by 2029, but it could, theoretically, be called before that by the government. "For too long, public trust in our democracy has been damaged and faith in our institutions has been allowed to decline," Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said. "We are taking action to break down barriers to participation that will ensure more people have the opportunity to engage in U.K. democracy." Stuart Fox, a politics lecturer at the University of Exeter who has studied youth voting, said it's "far from clear" whether lowering the voting age actually increases youth engagement. "It is right to help young people be heard," he said. "But there are other measures which are more effective at getting young people to vote - particularly those from the poorest backgrounds who are by far the least likely to vote - such as beefing up the citizenship curriculum or expanding the provision of volunteering programs in schools."
SBS Australia
17-07-2025
- Politics
- SBS Australia
UK to lower voting age to 16 in landmark reform
The United Kingdom will now give 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote in all elections in a major overhaul of its democratic system. The British government said the proposed changes, which are subject to parliamentary approval, would align voting rights across the UK with Scotland and Wales, where younger voters already take part in devolved elections. "We are taking action to break down barriers to participation that will ensure more people have the opportunity to engage in UK democracy," Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said in a statement on Thursday. The decision comes after turnout at the 2024 general election fell to 59.7 per cent, the lowest at a general election since 2001, according to a parliamentary report. According to the House of Commons library, research from countries that have lowered the voting age to 16 shows it has had no impact on election outcomes, and 16-year-olds are more likely to vote than those first eligible at 18 An election promise Labour, whose popularity has fallen sharply in government after its landslide victory a year ago, had previously promised it would lower the voting age if elected. The reforms — if granted final approval — would also expand acceptable voter ID to include UK-issued bank cards and digital formats of existing IDs, such as driving licences and Veteran Cards. To tackle foreign interference, the government said it also planned to tighten rules on political donations, including checks on contributions from unincorporated associations and closing loopholes used by shell companies. In an interview with ITV News, Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised the move for its inclusivity. "I think it's really important that 16 and 17-year-olds have the vote, because they are old enough to go out to work, they are old enough to pay taxes. "And I think if you pay in, you should have the opportunity to say what you want your money spent on, which way the government should go."
