Youth voter enrolment ahead of 2026 election

The story so far

In late September, about 170,000 young New Zealanders had yet to enrol, raising fears of the lowest-ever youth vote.^{29 Sep} By mid-October, just over 66% of eligible voters aged 18 to 24 were enrolled, and the deadline was midnight on Sunday, 25 October.^{19, 22 Oct} The Electoral Commission said it had not used door-knocking since 2015 and was relying on targeted outreach and more advertising, which Labour leader Chris Hipkins doubted would be enough.^{21 Oct} Under new rules, enrolment closed at midnight on the Sunday deadline, 13 days before the 7 November election, and leaders Chris Hipkins and Christopher Luxon had urged people to enrol beforehand.^{24, 25 Oct} About 300,000 people were still unenrolled at the deadline, with young people aged 18 to 24 making up nearly half of them.^{25 Oct}

Latest

Advance voting has begun across New Zealand for the 7 November election, and the Electoral Commission has issued guidelines on campaigning and entertainment near polling stations.^{26 Oct} Christopher Luxon expects enrolment to be higher than in previous elections and has denied that the deadline changes will disenfranchise voters.^{25 Oct}

What's next

The general election will be held on 7 November.^{24, 26 Oct}

Key moments

1. 29 SepAbout 170,000 young people yet to enrol; fears of lowest youth vote
2. 21 OctElectoral Commission says it has not door-knocked since 2015
3. 22 OctFinal push to enrol 350,000 eligible New Zealanders before deadline
4. 24 OctEnrolment closes at midnight Sunday, 13 days before the election
5. 25 OctAbout 300,000 unenrolled at deadline; nearly half aged 18 to 24
6. 25 OctHipkins and Luxon urge enrolment; Luxon denies disenfranchisement claims
7. 26 OctAdvance voting begins across New Zealand ahead of 7 November

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