"I will perhaps be somewhat less diplomatic, applying the three strikes and you're out rule. I think [the police] have had their third strike. In 2005, 2008 and 2011, all had serious issues of non-performance. Timely enforcement is very important because sometimes you want these resolved before the election. The voters should know if people have breached electoral rules."
He said it was 12 months since some complaints were referred and no outcome was known. At the time the commission raised its concern, a police spokesman said the police gave them "due priority" but had to weigh up other priorities, such as investigating sexual offending, armed robbery and drugs offences.
Last election there were 24 cases referred to the police by the commission and 62 complaints about dual voting. Only one of those has been resolved - the police decision not to lay charges against Radio Live for giving the Prime Minister an hour-long talkback slot during the campaign which the commission believed was an election programme.
When asked for an update on progress this week, a police spokesman said the person in charge of that area was away for the week.
The justice and electoral committee is also considering whether the 2014 election should be held using current electorate boundaries because of the delay in the Census until March 2013 - a year later than scheduled.
That delay will mean revised electorate boundaries to account for changes in the population are not finalised until April 2014, which National MP Jackie Blue said left little time for parties to select candidates.
Mr Farrar said it was important to have the new boundaries in place for the 2014 election, especially because of significant changes in the population around Christchurch. Parties could take steps such as selecting candidates based on provisional boundaries which were usually released much earlier. If there were major changes in the final boundaries, new selections could be held for those seats affected.