2026 election: no more election-day enrolment

New Zealanders will not be able to enrol on election day in 2026 for the first time. The Electoral Amendment Bill sets a deadline of midnight on 25 October 2026 — anyone who misses it will not have their vote counted. The Electoral Commission says about 440,000 eligible voters remain unenrolled, nearly 200,000 of them under 25.