37412 (2025). Hon Dr Duncan Webb to the Minister of Justice

37412 (2025). Hon Dr Duncan Webb to the Minister of Justice: Are there any occasions where voter's enrolment details with the Electoral Commission have been changed without the consent of the voter?

Hon Paul Goldsmith: The Commission can only change or remove a person’s name from the roll in accordance with the requirements of the Electoral Act 1993, which specify: 1. Subject to the one-month rule, an elector who moves electorate must transfer from one roll to another. 2. Māori electors who choose to transfer from the general roll to the Māori roll or vice versa must be moved to the roll type they have chosen. If the choice is exercised during an exception period before an election the change cannot be made until after the exception period. 3. The removal of the name of an elector whose death has been notified to the Commission. 4. Where the elector’s whereabouts are not known, the elector must be moved from the main roll to the dormant roll. 5. After 3 years a person must be removed from the dormant roll. 6. A person on the Corrupt Practices List must be removed from the roll. 7. A person who is disqualified from registration under section 80 must be removed from the roll. 8. A person who is not Māori must be removed from a roll for a Māori electorate. 9. Any person who has been registered on a roll by mistake, clerical error or as a result of false information must be removed from the roll. 10. A person’s name can be removed from the roll following an objection process under section 95B. An elector’s details are only changed under 1 and 2 above on the application of the elector (or their representative where section 86 of the Electoral Act applies). The consent of the elector is not required for 3 to 10 above. The Commission is not able to write to electors to tell them they have been put on the dormant roll as their current address is not known. However, if mobile numbers or email addresses are available, the Commission will attempt to contact dormant electors by text and email, to encourage them to update their details. The Commission is required to give notice to an elector when their name is removed from a roll under 6 to 10 above in accordance with section 99 and section 95B of the Electoral Act.