September 18, 2017
Election staff confusing voters
The Electoral Commission has been slammed for misinforming Maori electors, causing confusion and non-voting.
Massey University Maori politics lecturer Veronica Tawhai says she laid a complaint after hearing from numerous electors round the country.
These included people being told they were unregistered because polling booth staff don’t know there is a Maori roll, staff having difficulty locating Maori names on the Maori roll, staff giving incorrect information about the Maori electorates, and Maori being given the wrong voting form.
She says some electors on the general roll were told they can’t vote for a Maori party if they are not on the Maori roll.
Ms Tawhai says her request a memo be sent immediately to all staff to ensure accurate information was provided to electors appears to have been ignored, calling into question the commitment of the Commission to ‘democracy for all’.
She wants a Maori electorate specialist appointed to each polling booth throughout the country immediately, to ensure full and accurate information is being given to electors this election.
Copyright © 2017, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com