"If The Left Vote, The Left Win"
National's Electoral Voter Suppression Tactic Affects Hundreds of Thousands of Kiwis
Yesterday's electoral law changes smack of US Republican style voter suppression1 tactics.
Paul Goldsmith claimed it was a positive step, but experts say NZ has always supported and enabled people to vote because it is a natural right and critical to support.
One expert on TV last night said: "This move only benefits this [sitting] government"
And this graph, shared with me, proves the point -
A shared comment2
In every election since 1999, the special votes have benefitted the more left-leaning parties.
Many special voters tend to be younger and more transient – a population that often supports left-wing parties.
Think students who move flats regularly and may not have updated their enrolment details to their new address."
It also rules out any young person who turns 18 years old within ~12 days from election day.3
The advice government received said it would negatively impact young people, Māori, Pacific and Asian the most. i.e. it unduly affects certain demographics and falls precisely in line with voter suppression strategies.
But it also includes people who are moving, and who might have errors on their voting forms and need to correct it etc.
Regardless, what is most striking is the emulation of US style voter suppression tactics - an extraordinary move for a government that emulates the alt- Republican playbook at every turn.
The National Party’s move reverses laws that have been in place since 2020.
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Electoral Reform
In 2022, Jacinda Ardern started to implement important donor electoral transparency.
She was rapidly set upon by the right wing party leaders, Luxon and Seymour, and media, who claimed Labour were “trying to screw the scrum” and would ruin their parties.
The Government's bill to lower the levels at which donations must be publicly disclosed from $15,000 to $5,000 went before Parliament for the start of its first reading today and is expected to pass next week with National and Act opposing it.
The bill will also require donations of more than $20,000 to be disclosed within 10 working days in an election year (down from $30,000 at present), and require parties to disclose their financial statements.
Justice Minister Kiri Allan said the $5000 threshold was a "careful balance" which would still allow people who did not want to be named to donate something, without letting larger donations be made without transparency.
However, Act leader David Seymour said lowering the threshold was unnecessary and would result in donations to political parties drying up.
Ardern agreed to set up an independent review body in response….