If you live overseas you can still vote in the General Election

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New Zealand citizens and permanent residents who live overseas can still enrol and vote in the upcoming NZ general election. To be eligible to vote from overseas you must either:

  • be a New Zealand citizen and have visited New Zealand within the last three years, or
  • be a permanent resident of New Zealand and have visited New Zealand in the last 12 months.

Enrolling

In order to vote you must be enrolled. You can check if you are enrolled online at https://secure.elections.org.nz/app/enrol/.

If you are not enrolled there are 3 ways you can enrol from overseas:

  1. submitting your details online at  https://secure.elections.org.nz/app/enrol/ (further information will be sent out to you), or
  2. picking up an enrolment form from any New Zealand diplomatic post (see http://www.mfat.govt.nz/Embassies/1-NZ-representatives-overseas/index.php for a list of posts), or
  3. you can get someone else to complete the enrolment form for you, but:
  • they must be a registered elector (i.e., they must be enrolled themselves), and
  • they must print "Elector Overseas signed by their direction" on the form next to their signature, or
  • you can have the form completed by someone who holds a Power of Attorney for you. In this case they must print "Elector Overseas - Power of Attorney" next to their signature.

You can get more information about enrolling, and download a printed application form if you wish, at http://www.elections.org.nz/enrolment/how-to-enrol/how-to-enrol-to-vote.html

In terms of where you are enrolled, your electorate will be the one in which you last lived for a month or more.

Voting

Once you are enrolled you can vote in the 2011 general election. Voters who are overseas can get their voting papers from Wednesday 9 November in one of three ways:

  1. download their voting papers from www.elections.org.nz
  2. apply to the Electoral Commission to get postal voting papers. You can download the relevant form to complete at http://www.elections.org.nz/files/going_to_be_overseas_on_election_day.pdf
  3. vote in person at a New Zealand diplomatic post - http://www.mfat.govt.nz/Embassies/1-NZ-representatives-overseas/index.php (see http://www.mfat.govt.nz/Embassies/1-NZ-representatives-overseas/index.php for a list of posts)

Once you have completed your voting papers, to cast your vote you must return them in one of three ways:

  1. fax your voting papers to the Electoral Commission (+64 4 494 2300)
  2. post or courier your voting papers to the Electoral Commission (the address will be on voting paper)
  3. post, courier or hand deliver your voting papers to the nearest New Zealand diplomatic post by Friday 25 November


If you have any questions about voting from overseas, email overseas@elections.org.nz or, from outside of New Zealand, call +64 9 909 3485.

 

MMP Referendum

As well as getting to vote in the 2011 general election, you will also get to vote in the referendum on New Zealand’s voting system. This will decide whether we keep MMP or whether to have another referendum to select another voting system.  The NZ Council of Trade Unions recommends that we keep MMP as it is a fairer system. Click here for more information on why we think MMP is the best system.

Authorised by: NZCTU - 178 Willis Street, Wellington

This website contains information and resources available for reproduction. Please note that all promoters are subject to the requirement in the Electoral Act 1993 to include their name and address on any election advertisement, which may include any materials you use from this site. Also note any use of this material may require written authorisation from one or more political parties before it is distributed. Please see www.elections.org.nz for further information.