New Zealand wants to deprive all prisoners of voting rights, opposition calls for “shameful” move

The New Zealand coalition government announced that it would delete the voting rights of all prisoners. This reverses the Labor government’s 2020 law that allows prisoners who have served in the general election to vote for less than three years.Attorney General Paul Goldsmith said the cabinet has agreed to bring back a full ban. He dismissed the court rulings and recommendations of the Election Commission and Waitaji Court.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon defended the move, saying he was not concerned about legal advice or past decisions.
Luxon told the media that he doesn’t care what others think about the matter. He added that if someone wants to cause harm and pain to New Zealanders and ends up in jail, their right to vote will be withdrawn.

However, the decision did not get along well with the opposition parties who proposed the ban by the Luxon administration.

Labor and the Greens criticized the decision. They say it does not help heal and waste government time. “We changed the law because the Supreme Court told us that denying prisoners voting rights is a violation of the Human Rights Act,” said Duncan Webb, a Labour judicial spokesman, and Tamatha Paul, a Greens judicial spokesman, also questioned the government’s priorities.
“I think it’s a stupid waste of time,” she said.

She added that the move would not help, make the community safer and “further alienate” people in prison.

Another party, TePātiMāori, strongly opposed the plan, calling it a “shameful step.”
Its spokesman for Justice Tākuta Ferris said denial of voting rights does not strengthen society, but it weakens democracy and violates Te Tiriti O Waitangi (signed between the British royal family and Maori chiefs to protect their rights). Voting is not a deprived privilege, but a fundamental right of humanity, Fries added.

But charities like the Smart Sentencing Trust support the move.
Louise Parsons of the trust said prisoners “lost their right to be part of a normal society” through crime.

“They don’t want to vote, but why don’t they focus on doing some rehabilitation so they don’t commit crimes again when they come out?” she said.

The government said the voting ban only applies if prisoners are held. Once released, their voting rights will be restored.

The opposition believes that abolishing the right to vote will harm recovery and increase alienation from society. They say most prisoners will return to their normal lives and should not be kept out. Such proposed legal changes are expected to be introduced in the coming months.