Voters need to be enrolled by tomorrow to receive a voting pack for local body elections. Photo: 123RF
The Electoral Commission says people who cannot find their enrolment details are likely on the dormant roll.
Voters need to be enrolled by tomorrow to receive a voting pack for local body elections but some people say they are no longer showing up on the roll.
Electoral commission deputy chief executive of operations Anusha Guler said it is likely people are being moved to the dormant roll.
It follows Te Pāti Māori saying they are hearing complaints about voters' details being altered.
"We've heard some concerns that people have been unable to find their enrolment record on our website. We have checked and there are no technical issues with our enrol online system," Guler said.
"If you're Māori, I also want to assure you that your roll choice - Māori roll or general roll - is up to you. We won't put you on either roll by default and we won't change your roll without your permission."
The Electoral Commission said people can go online to vote.nz to enrol, check or update their details or call a free phone number for help.
For those who can't find their enrolment record, it might be because they're not enrolled or you're on the unpublished roll, the commission said.
There are a few other reasons why your enrolment record might not come up immediately or might not be available on vote.nz.
"When you look up your details on vote.nz your search must exactly match the name and address we have on our records. The same goes for verifying your information with ID - the names on your enrolment record and your ID must match exactly," Guler said.
"If we lose touch with you - for example if we get returned mail from an old address - we will try to contact you by email or text to ask you to update your details. If we can't contact you or don't hear back from you, you may be put on the dormant roll.
"If you're on the dormant roll, your record won't show up on vote.nz, but you'll be re-enrolled as soon as you fill in an enrolment form with your current address.
"If you've got any concerns about your enrolment, please get in touch with our enrolment team on 0800 36 76 56 or enquiries@elections.govt.nz and they can check your enrolment."
Enrolling for the local elections
Guler said it is important to be enrolled at the address where prospective voters live by 1 August to get their voting papers for the local elections in the mail.
"If you enrol or update your address from 1 August, you can still vote, but you'll need to contact your council and cast a special vote," Guler said.
Those who are Māori, can choose the Māori roll or the general roll when first enrolling to vote. After that, they can change rolls at any time except in the three months before an election.
"During these three months before the local elections, you won't be able to change from the Māori roll to general roll, or general roll to Māori roll. Applications to change rolls will be processed after the local elections," Guler said.
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