The Government will reinstate a total ban on prisoner voting, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said today.
It would reverse the changes made under the Labour-led government in 2020, which allowed prisoners serving sentences of less than three years to vote.
“Restoring prisoner voting was typical of the previous government’s soft-on-crime approach; we don’t agree with it,” Goldsmith said.
“Citizenship brings rights and responsibilities. People who breach those responsibilities to the extent that they are sentenced to jail temporarily lose some of their rights, including the right to vote.
“The proposed change will establish a consistent approach to prisoner voting, regardless of the length of sentence.”
The ban would be progressed as part of an electoral amendment bill announced in April, to be introduced later in the year.
“When prisoners have served their time, they will enjoy the full restoration of electoral rights. The Department of Corrections and the Electoral Commission currently coordinate to support prisoners with re-enrolment upon their release, and this work will continue.”
The ban won’t be retrospective, meaning those already in prison serving sentences of less than three years would be able to vote at the 2026 election.
It won’t apply to those detained on remand or on home detention.
“A total prison voting ban for all sentenced prisoners underlines the importance that New Zealanders afford to the rule of law, and the civic responsibility that goes hand-in-hand with the right to participate in our democracy through voting,” Goldsmith said.
