With the General Election quickly approaching on November 7, the Electoral Commission is reminding Kiwis to enrol or update their details in time to receive an EasyVote card.

Everyone enrolled to vote by October 4 and has an up-to-date address on the Electoral Roll will receive an EasyVote card and a list of the electorate candidates they can vote for, Electoral Commission deputy chief executive operations Anusha Guler said.

“You don’t need an EasyVote card to vote, but it makes voting easy. It helps staff to find your name on the electoral roll and issue your voting paper faster,” Guler said.

“If you’ve told us your email address, we’ll send your EasyVote card by email. Otherwise, we’ll send it by post”

Guler said this year Kiwis must be enrolled before voting starts. “You cannot enrol and vote at the same time.”

As a result, the commission encouraged everyone to enrol or update their details by October 4.

“Anyone who enrols after this date casts a special vote which takes longer. The last day you can enrol is October 25,” Guler said.

At the 2023 election, 94.7% of people were enrolled and the enrolment rate for 18-to-24-year-olds was 76.7%.

“Overall enrolment is about 1% higher than it was at this time before the 2023 election, and we’re very pleased to see the improvement in the enrolment rate for New Zealand’s youngest voters,” Guler said.

“There’s still a way to go though. If you haven’t enrolled, please do it now, and check in with the young people in your life about whether they are enrolled too.”

How to enrol

Kiwis can enrol or update their address online at vote.nz using their New Zealand driver licence, New Zealand passport or RealMe verified identity.

Another method is filling in an enrolment form. Call 0800 36 76 56 to ask for a form, or text your name and address to 3676 and a form will be sent to you. Calls and texts are free.

The commission has also set up 10 enrolment hubs around the nation, where teams can answer people’s questions and help them enrol in person. Find out the hubs’ locations at: vote.nz.

Key election dates

October 4 – writ day, enrol by this date to get an EasyVote card.

October 21 – overseas voting begins.

October 25 – the last day people can enrol or update their details for the election.

October 26 – advance voting begins in New Zealand.

November 7 – Election Day, voting places open 9am to 7pm.