The Electoral Commission has published a 'Facts about New Zealand elections' section on its website. Photo: 123RF
The Electoral Commission says it will pay particular focus on the spread of inaccurate information this election.
The commission, which is an independent Crown entity, is marking the week when all enrolled voters are being contacted to make sure their enrolment details are up-to-date with a new campaign on how elections work.
It has published a Facts about New Zealand elections page on its website, linking to information around enrolling, voting, and how the election is run - including how votes are counted.
Chief Electoral Officer Karl Le Quesne said there were high levels of trust in the electoral system, but it could be eroded with widespread dissemination of inaccurate information - be it accidentally or deliberately.
"I wouldn't say we're more concerned, but we are trying to get ahead of it," Le Quesne said.
People had been quick to come to the commission if they had concerns over the information they were seeing in the past, Le Quesne said, and he expected that would continue.
The website covers topics such as how to enrol, the rules around electoral advertisements, and what happens once a voter gets to a voting place. But it also contains a section on how votes are counted and published.
Le Quesne said the commission had been observing what was happening in elections overseas, particularly in Australia.
During the New South Wales election earlier this year, video circulated of an election official being followed and harassed as they transported sealed boxes of ballot papers from a polling station.
"We may see some of that same behaviour," Le Quesne admitted.
"What we've been doing is looking at our processes from end to end, how we use our properties, how we run our processes, how we transport materials, to make sure we're doing it in the safest, most secure way that we can."
He reassured people that their vote would be secret and confidential, and a range of government agencies, including police, would help with any issues that came up, such as security for people working at polling stations.
The commission will be investing more on security in a "targeted way," particularly around the transporting of materials.
Le Quesne said he was aware some groups had tried to get their supporters into roles working for the commission, but would not single out any group.
He said the commission would need 22,000 people, but was satisfied the recruitment processes were robust, and people would be able to act impartially and neutrally.
"We have some really great training and support for how it should run. And then we've got a lot of eyes on this if these people see anything that worries them or concerns and about the behaviour, that we'll be able to address it really quickly."
Chief Electoral Officer Karl Le Quesne at the launch of the Electoral Commission's information page. Photo: RNZ / Giles Dexter
Politicians respond
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said inaccurate information was something people should always be on guard about.
"We have to accept that there has been more manipulation, or more attempts to manipulate elections, around the globe in recent times. And that is something that I think all New Zealanders should keep their eyes wide open for," he said.
Labour's campaign chair Megan Woods said she trusted the Electoral Commission would run a sound process.
"Of course I think it would be a concern to all New Zealanders if there are groups within a political agenda that seek to be part of the process."
Her opposite number in National, Chris Bishop, said he supported efforts to raise awareness of how elections were run.
"You vote by hand, you vote in-person, you literally tick two boxes on a piece of paper and then a whole bunch of people sit around from seven o'clock onwards and count the votes and put them into piles. It's as simple as that. A bit of information to persuade people that it's actually not rocket science, it's a simple concept, democracy, I think that's a good thing."
ACT leader David Seymour said he had noticed a rise in misinformation, but a relatively small number of people were buying it.
He said there was no magic bullet, and it was up to the individual to decide what they believed.
"If you see something you don't think is quite right, just ask yourself, is this plausible? And for this to be true, what other things would have to be true, and are they true? Who's telling me this thing, why would they tell it, what do they gain from telling me this?"
Te Pāti Māori said people trying to disrupt elections had been around for a long time, including the last election. Co-leader Rawiri Waititi said he did not see things changing.
"What it does tell us though is that there may be a part of Aotearoa that's been left behind. And so we work hard to ensure we continue to be the movement that leaves nobody behind, and we're a voice for them," he said.
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said she was "always" concerned by misinformation, and had noticed a rise around the world.
"We need to ensure that the platforms that allow for misinformation to get out there are taking some responsibility," she said.
The commission says there will be more polling stations in more locations at this election. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Social media
The Electoral Commission said it was working with social media companies in the same way it had for a number of elections, and reminding them of their obligations. It said the companies had been "pretty co-operative".
Kristina Temel, the commission's legal and policy manager, said it had direct channels with the companies, and there were processes to escalate concerns.
"When we have a breach of the rules, or we have a significant misinformation about the enrolment or voting process, we seek that out in terms of referring to the legislation, and we email it from a whitelisted email address. And that's going into a specific government reporting channel that we've established with that platform."
Temel was unable to say how long such a process would take, and said the commission did not have powers to take down materials itself if the platforms disagreed.
More parties were registered this year than at this point in the 2020 cycle, she said. Parties had until 8 September to register.
Polling stations
The commission said there would be polling stations in more locations this election, including more kaupapa Māori voting places, which would be open to anyone. It had also reached an agreement with a supermarket company to put more polling stations within its stores.
However, Le Quesne said the company could only commit to polling stations in its North Island stores. The company would be unable to set up stations in South Island supermarkets due to logistical issues, such as secure containment, he said.
He was not concerned the move would negatively impact voter turnout. He said the Hamilton West by-election in 2022 had shown there was high turnout in shopping malls and retail centres, so the commission would be increasing stations in those locations.
