Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and National leader Christopher Luxon have criticised the Electoral Commission, with an estimated 1.4 million Kiwis yet to receive their easy vote cards.
The Electoral Commission said more than 3.4 million EasyVote packs are being sent to voters with about 2 million already delivered, and the remaining expected to be delivered in the coming days.
“The Electoral Commission should have made sure voters had their easy vote cards before voting started,” Hipkins told reporters in a Zoom call today.
The Labour leader added: “The Electoral Commission has one job, which is to run a successful election for all New Zealanders.
"Being this far into the election and having that many New Zealanders not have an Easy Vote card - and therefore believing they can’t vote because they don’t have it - isn’t acceptable.”
He said the Labour party secretary had raised the issue with the Electoral Commission.
"Hipkins said there were “a million” voters who still hadn’t received their Easy Vote packs.
Luxon also said it was “disappointing” the Electoral Commission hadn’t sent out a number of Easy Vote packs yet, and a voter had told him this morning that they were confused about whether they could vote without one.
