Government proposes integrated electoral agency

Proposals for a new Electoral Commission, which will be given overarching responsibility for electoral administration, were announced yesterday by Justice Minister Simon Power.

The Electoral Commission will be an independent Crown entity that is separate from executive government.

Responsibility for electoral administration is currently split between the Chief Electoral Officer, the Electoral Commission, and the Chief Registrar of Electors through the Electoral Enrolment Centre.

Mr Power said having one agency would remove duplication between the agencies, confusion over responsibilities, and increased costs and complexity for political parties, constituency candidates, and the public.

"Ongoing reviews have found the existing arrangements to be flawed.

"The proposal for a single entity will address those flaws and alleviate the pressure on the current agencies, political parties and candidates, and the public."

The restructure is proposed to occur in two stages.

 

1. To amalgamate the functions of the Electoral Commission and the Chief Electoral Office well before the 2011 general election.

2. To transfer the functions of the Chief Registrar of Electors to the new Electoral Commission in the next parliamentary term.

The aim is to have the new commission operational by 1 October next year so it can administer the 2011 general election. The transition will occur in stages so not to disrupt electoral activity and the functions of the current agencies.

"I'm confident the new agency will provide more integrated, efficient, and consistent oversight and decision-making on electoral matters," Mr Power said.

"The adoption of an independent Crown entity for electoral administration will provide the best balance of a high level of independence with good accountability and the ability to administer the electoral functions to a high standard."

A bill is due to be introduced to Parliament later this year to establish the new entity.