Kia ora Michael

 

Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982, received by the Electoral Commission on Friday 31 July.

 

The Electoral Commission has decided to extend the time limit for responding to your request under section 15A(1)(a) of the Official Information Act because meeting the original time limit would unreasonably interfere with the operations of the Commission. 

This is due to the large quantity of information requested and the extensive searches required to identify, locate, and assess information within scope, particularly as the request covers a broad range of records spanning a five-year period.

 

We will now respond to your request as soon as reasonably practicable and no later than Friday 29 September 2026.

 

You have the right to seek an investigation and review of this decision by the Ombudsman under section 28(3) of the Official Information Act. Information about how to make a complaint is available at https://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz.

 

 

 

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Subject: OIA Request – Electoral Roll Integrity, Audit, Verification, and Democratic Risk

LandsAirWater

 Official Information Act 1982 Request

 To: Electoral Commission

By email: [email protected]

 This is a request under the Official Information Act 1982.

 This request concerns the integrity, maintenance, audit, verification, and governance of the New Zealand electoral roll. The request is made because electoral roll accuracy is central to public confidence in electoral administration and democratic governance.

 Background

 Previous correspondence and information responses have raised concerns about:

 whether the electoral roll is independently audited or primarily self-monitored;

• whether technical issues affecting voter records, enrolment records, or vote-tracking records have been identified;
• how complaints about voting irregularities, missing enrolments, altered enrolments, duplicate records, deceased persons, or incorrect enrolments are recorded and resolved; and
• whether there is clear, independently verified assurance as to the accuracy and completeness of the electoral roll.

 

This request seeks the records and explanations held by the Commission that address those matters.

 Request

 Please provide the following information:

 

1. Electoral Roll Audit and Verification Records

 

Please provide records concerning any audit, review, verification, assurance, or quality-control process applied to the New Zealand electoral roll during the last five years, including:

 

• independent audit reports;
• internal audit reports;
• assurance reports;
• quality-control reviews;
• data integrity reviews;
• roll accuracy assessments;
• error-rate analyses;
• post-election roll integrity reviews; and
• any records identifying the scope, frequency, methodology, results, or limitations of those audits, reviews, or assessments.

 

2. Independent Verification

 

Please provide records showing whether any independent body, contractor, auditor, agency, or external reviewer verifies the integrity or accuracy of the electoral roll.

 

If no independent verification is undertaken, please provide records explaining:

 

• the basis on which the Commission considers internal monitoring sufficient;
• any risk assessment supporting that position;
• any Board, executive, governance, or management consideration of that position; and
• any legal, operational, or policy advice about independent verification of the electoral roll.

 

3. Electoral Roll Error Rates and Data Integrity

 

Please provide records for the last five years concerning known or estimated error rates in the electoral roll, including records relating to:

 

• duplicate entries;
• deceased persons remaining on the roll;
• incorrect enrolments;
• outdated enrolments;
• missing enrolments;
• altered enrolments;
• address errors;
• name or identity-matching errors;
• data-matching issues with other agencies or datasets; and
• any system-generated or manually identified anomalies.

 

4. Processes for Identifying and Correcting Errors

 

Please provide records describing the Commission’s processes for identifying, investigating, correcting, and recording electoral roll errors, including:

 

• policies;
• procedures;
• workflow records;
• templates;
• internal guidance;
• system manuals;
• escalation rules;
• exception reports;
• quality-assurance steps; and
• records showing how corrections are approved and audited.

 

5. Technical Issues Affecting Electoral Roll or Voting Records

 

Please provide records for the last five years concerning technical issues, system faults, data-transfer issues, integration issues, database problems, or operational incidents affecting:

 

• electoral roll records;
• enrolment records;
• voter records;
• vote-tracking records;
• special vote processing;
• roll mark-off or reconciliation processes; and
• any system used to maintain, verify, update, or reconcile roll information.

 

6. Complaint Handling

 

Please provide records for the last five years showing the number and nature of complaints received about:

 

• voting irregularities;
• missing enrolments;
• altered enrolments;
• duplicate enrolments;
• incorrect enrolments;
• deceased persons on the roll;
• roll accuracy;
• vote-tracking issues; and
• any other complaint category relating to electoral roll integrity.

 

Please also provide records showing how those complaints were:

 

• logged;
• categorised;
• investigated;
• escalated;
• resolved;
• reported internally; and
• reviewed for systemic issues.

 

7. Governance, Risk, and Oversight Records

 

Please provide Board, executive, governance, risk, management, or operational oversight records concerning electoral roll integrity during the last five years, including:

 

• Board papers;
• Board minutes;
• executive leadership papers;
• risk-register entries;
• internal reports;
• assurance reports;
• post-election reviews;
• lessons-learned records;
• legal advice summaries where releasable;
• management decisions; and
• records concerning whether the current system provides sufficient assurance of roll accuracy.

 

8. Records Relied Upon for Public Assurance

 

Please provide the records the Commission relies upon when assuring the public, Ministers, Parliament, candidates, parties, or other agencies that the electoral roll is accurate, complete, lawful, and fit for electoral use.

 

9. Records Not Held

 

If the Commission’s position is that any requested record does not exist, please identify:

 

• the specific class of information said not to exist;
• whether the information never existed or previously existed but was destroyed or disposed of;
• the business units searched;
• the electronic systems, drives, folders, databases, repositories, and email locations searched;
• the search terms, date ranges, and criteria used;
• whether records-management, legal, operational, governance, audit, and technical-system locations were checked; and
• whether the information is held by another agency, contractor, auditor, or service provider.

 

10. Transfer

 

If any part of this request is more closely connected with another agency, contractor, auditor, or service provider, please transfer that part under section 14 of the Official Information Act and advise me of the transfer.

 

Form of Response

 

Please provide the information electronically.

 

If any part of this request is refused, please identify:

 

• the specific statutory ground relied upon;
• the information or class of information being refused;
• the search undertaken before reaching that decision; and
• the reasoning for the refusal.

 

If any information is withheld, please provide a schedule identifying the document, date, author or business unit where known, general subject matter, and withholding ground relied upon.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Michael Clark

LandsAirWater