Election vote counting and enrolment changes

The story so far

The Government's Electoral Amendment Bill would limit enrolment periods, with the aim of improving the timeliness of the vote count.^{25 Sep 2025} The Electoral Commission says the bill will not make official election results available any sooner or speed up the final count.^{25 Sep 2025} The Commission projects that 55,000 votes could be cancelled at the 2026 general election, because the bill would stop people enrolling in the two weeks before election day.^{26 Sep 2025} Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has called for the Commission to speed up the official count, saying the current pace is too slow. The Commission had previously given the Justice committee feedback on the proposed changes.^{26 Sep 2025}

Key moments

1. 25 Sep 2025Commission says enrolment limits will not speed up official results
2. 26 Sep 2025Commission projects 55,000 votes could be cancelled at 2026 election
3. 26 Sep 2025Luxon says the official count is too slow and wants it faster

Written from the stories below; each sentence links to its sources.