Petition request

That the House of Representatives repeal Section 81(1) of the Local Electoral Act 2001, which prohibits scrutineers from overseeing early ballot processing in local elections, and adopt provisions similar to Section 174C(2) of the Electoral Act 1993, which allows such oversight in national elections.

Petition reason

Section 80(4) of the Local Electoral Act allows voting documents to be fully processed before voting closes; however, Section 81(1) prohibits scrutineer oversight during this time. In 2022, 83% of voting documents in Auckland, 90% in Christchurch, and 80% in the Far North were received and fully or partly processed before polling day. We firmly believe that repealing Section 81(1) before the 2025 local government elections is imperative to uphold the transparency mandated by Section 4(1)(c)(iv).

Petition progress

  • Open for signatures
  • Closed for signatures
  • Select Committee
  • Reported
  • Referred to Minister
Number of signatures: 224
Date presented: 08 May 2025
Considered by: Petitions
Presenting member: Greg Fleming
Closing date: 28 Feb 2025