From the wrong election date to a non-existent ID requirement, voters are being urged to “pause and look again” before believing what they see online about enrolling or voting.
As election day approaches, the Electoral Commission’s chief electoral officer Karl Le Quesne is advising people to slow down and take a moment to check what they are seeing before they trust or share it.
“There is always the potential for a rapid spread of inaccurate information on social media and messaging platforms at election time – particularly as AI is making it increasingly easy for content to be created and shared quickly.”
Le Quesne says misconceptions around election information can often arise inadvertently, with eligible voters reading headlines and election content without second guessing the legitimacy and accuracy.
The Electoral Commission is working to help those people “sort fact from fiction”, he says.
“Voting can also appear complicated to some people, so one of our key roles is to ensure voters have clear information not only about how and when to enrol and vote, but how the election is conducted.”
The Electoral Commission is the trusted and official source of information.
Anyone unsure about what they have seen online or how to enrol and vote can seek answers by going to vote.nz or by calling 0800 36 76 56.
Le Quesne says one of the most common types of misinformation is over the date of the election. Election day this year is November 7, but some people “can get mixed up and think it is a week later, for example”.
Likewise, Le Quesne says, some think they need to bring a form of ID when casting their vote – but this is not a requirement in New Zealand.
The issue of accuracy of online information was highlighted last year in InternetNZ’s Internet Insights survey, which showed 92% of New Zealanders are concerned by online misinformation and 31% are extremely concerned.
Although the commission does not regulate the content of election advertising or campaign materials put out by political parties and candidates, it does have information about what to do if people are unsure about what they see and where to direct complaints.
“Our advice is that if you see something that doesn’t look right, don’t trust it,” Le Quesne says.
“If you think it is misinformation or disinformation, don’t share it even if your intention is to highlight that it’s not true. A better approach is to share correct information instead.
“If people suspect a statement in the name of a party or candidate is inaccurate, they can check its source by going to their real social media account or website.”
Election programmes on TV and radio, such as party and candidate advertisements, are required to follow the Election Programmes Code of Broadcasting Practice.
If people think a programme has breached a standard, they can complain to the broadcaster first. If it remains unresolved, it can then be referred to the Broadcasting Standards Authority.
The Advertising Standards Authority oversees advertising in all media (including social media) other than TV and radio, while the New Zealand Media Council overseas its members, which include publications and news websites.
Complaints about editorial content must be taken up with the publisher first.
While the Electoral Commission has no role in regulating the content of campaign advertising, broadcasts or media activity, Le Quesne says the commission does look after the rules about including promoter statements in election advertising, spending limits and not advertising on election day.
“We can’t enforce laws or prosecute offenders, but if we believe a person or group has committed an offence, we’ll report the facts to the police,” he says.
Le Quesne says while 89.7% (about 3.6 million people) of the 4 million New Zealanders eligible to vote have already enrolled, the commission’s goal is to reach 94.7% by the time voting opens.
To help with this, it has identified areas in the country where there are lower enrolment rates and are using mobile enrolment hubs in mainly rural and regional districts to provide information and help individuals enrol.
“There are many reasons why people don’t enrol,” Le Quesne says.
“Some put it off until the last minute, some have got a lot going on in their lives so enrolling is not at the top of their list, while young people voting for the first time may see the process as too hard.
“To that end we encourage parents, aunts, uncles, teachers, sport coaches or anyone with young people in their lives to check in with them and encourage them to enrol.”
The last day to enrol is October 25. Advance voting begins on October 26 and runs until November 6, before voting on election day itself on November 7.
If people enrol by October 4, they will receive an Easy Vote Card which makes it quicker and easier when voting. Up to 800 voting places will be open around the country for advance voting, while 2300 will be open on election day.
For more information, visit vote.nz