Your vote is your voice at this year’s general election
By Kim Jacobs, Electoral Commission
2026 is election year - when we vote for the people and parties who will represent us in Parliament and form a government.
This year, the election will be held on Saturday 7 November.
To vote, you need to be enrolled. If you’re 18 or older, have lived in New Zealand for more than one year at some time in your life, and are a New Zealand citizen or resident for electoral purposes, you’re eligible to enrol and vote.
Recent changes to legislation mean that enrolment now closes 13 days before election day, so you need to be enrolled before voting starts on Monday 26 October. You cannot enrol once voting has started. This is different from the last two elections where you could enrol and vote at the same time.
It’s easy to enrol, check or update your enrolment details online at vote.nz using a New Zealand driver licence, New Zealand passport, or RealMe verified identity.
If you can’t enrol online, you can call us on 0800 36 76 56, or text your name and address to 3676 to have an enrolment form sent to you.
Enrolment information is also available in 29 languages, and alternate formats on vote.nz.
Māori roll or general roll?
If you’re Māori and enrolling to vote for the first time, you choose to be on the Māori roll or the general roll. The roll you choose decides which electorate you vote in and who you can vote for to represent you in parliament. You can change your roll type at any time, except in the 3 months before a general election. That means if you want to change the roll you’re on before this year’s election, you need to do it by midnight, 6 August.
There are lots of ways to take part in this year’s election.
During an election year, we employ more than 20,000 people to work at voting places in their own communities, because you know your community best. You can register your interest at work.elections.nz.
You can also support your community by encouraging friends and whānau to enrol and vote. In the lead up to the election, we’ll have resources you can use to spread the word, including brochures, posters, social media and web tiles, newsletter copy and more - all available to download at vote.nz.
Voting for the first time can be daunting, but it’s easier when you understand how voting works and you know what to expect when you go to vote. Our public information shows people how to enrol and vote, and what it looks like in a voting place.
Let us know if you’d like your community group to receive newsletters and links to digital resources during the year. Email us on communications@elections.govt.nz if you’d like to go on our mailing list.
If you’d like someone from the Electoral Commission to come and have a kōrero with you and your community, email SEPcoordinators@elections.govt.nz.
For more information about enrolling and voting, visit vote.nz, or call 0800 36 76 56.
When you vote, you’re making sure your voice is heard.