Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has today released the final report of the Independent Electoral Review.

“The final report has over 140 recommendations that cover many aspects of parliamentary electoral laws,” says Mr Goldsmith.

“This follows an interim report released in June 2023, and two rounds of public engagement that together attracted more than 7,500 submissions.”

The Government will make a formal response to the review in due course.

“A number of recommendations can be ruled out immediately, such as lowering the voting age to 16, allowing all prisoners to vote and stand for Parliament, freezing the ratio of electorate to list seats, which would lead to extra MPs as the population increases, and repealing the offence of ‘treating’ voters with refreshments and entertainment.”

The report recommended holding a referendum on the term of Parliament.

The Government has already committed as part of the National-ACT coalition agreement to introducing the Constitution (Enabling a 4-Year Term) Amendment Bill, which if passed would be subject to a binding referendum.

The Government will now consider the other recommendations.

The Independent Electoral Review was established in May 2022 by then Minister of Justice Kris Faafoi.

The final report, an executive summary, and further information about the review can be found on the Independent Electoral Review website and the Ministry of Justice website.

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