Three weeks.  
 
That is how long New Zealanders waited to know the outcome of the 2023 election. While coalition talks were delayed pending the declaration of results, most comparable democracies can declare theirs within hours or days and promptly begin to form their governments. 
 
Vote counting is getting slower because more people are casting ‘special votes’.  These are ballots from voters who cannot vote normally – because they are voting outside their electorate, enrolling or updating their details late, are overseas, or in hospital or prison. Special votes require time-consuming processing and verification. 
 
Special votes made up 12% of total votes in 2011 but jumped to 21% in 2023. If this trend continues, they could reach 30% by 2032, meaning election results take even longer to finalise.  
 
The Electoral Amendment Bill offers sensible medicine. 
 
Closing the electoral rolls before advance voting begins directly tackles the problem of special votes by people enrolling or updating their details late. Most comparable democracies, including Australia and Britain, do this. While making it harder for young people and those who move frequently, it creates a cleaner, more secure voting process overall. The Bill allows people turning 18 during the voting period to pre-enrol. 
 
The Bill sets a 12-day advance voting period. But a shorter seven-day period could provide two full weekends for voting while keeping policy fresher in voters’ minds. Parties increasingly time their policy announcements to land just before advance voting begins.  
 
While addressing the special votes problem, the Bill ignores a glaring inconsistency: Advertising, organised campaigning, news coverage, and social media posts are allowed during advance voting, yet election day itself imposes strict prohibitions.  
 
This creates a bizarre two-tier system in which democracy's rules change at the eleventh hour – after most people have voted. 
 
The Electoral Commission and Justice Select Committee have both raised this anomaly and recommended a review. But nothing has changed.  
 
Consistent rules should apply throughout a shortened voting period. Advertising and organised campaigning could be restricted, while news coverage and individual expression allowed. 
 
Democratic institutions require public confidence to function effectively. When results take weeks and rules are inconsistent, citizens lose faith and uncertainty corrodes stability. Parties cannot begin coalition negotiations, and the country looks amateurish. 
 
New Zealanders deserve swift election results — no more agonising waits that leave us in the dark about our future. 
 
Nick Clark's submission, Electoral Amendment Bill, was lodged on 11 September 2025.