7 December 2020
Daymond David Goulder-Horobin
'[FYI request #14129 email]'
Dear Daymond
OFFICIAL INFORMATION ACT REQUEST 2020/54
Thank you for your request of 16 November 2020 under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act)
regarding a vote of no confidence. Specifically, you have asked for:
1. Has anybody seen the votes concerning the ballot on the vote of 'No Confidence'?
2. In the General Election of 2020, of how many of the votes cast were votes of no confidence?
The Electoral Commission is required to administer elections in accordance with the Electoral Act
1993.
The form of the ballot paper for parliamentary elections is prescribed in section 150 and form 11 of
the Electoral Act.
There is currently no formal way to register a vote of 'no confidence' in a general election.
If a voter is issued a ballot paper, any party votes that do not clearly indicate the party for which the
voter desired to vote and any electorate votes that do not clearly indicate the candidate for whom
the voter desired to vote, are recorded as informal.
A party or electorate vote could be informal either because of a deliberate act (for example, the
voter leaving the ballot paper blank, or crossing through all the options) or due to inadvertence.
Section 179 of the Electoral Act sets out how the official results are to be reported.
The Electoral Commission must declare the total number of:
• valid votes received by each of the parties listed on the party vote part of the ballot paper
• valid votes received by each constituency candidate
• informal party votes
• informal electorate votes.
Detailed Official Results for the 2020 General Election are availab
le here, including the candidate and
party informal votes by electorate.
Electoral Commission | Level 4, 34-42 Manners Street, Wellington 6011 | PO Box 3220, Wellington 6140 | 0800 36 76 56
Legislative change would be required to allow a voter to register a vote of 'no confidence' and for
votes of ‘no confidence’ to be counted and reported on separately.
You have the right under section 28(3) of the Act to make a complaint to the Ombudsman if you are
not satisfied with the response to your requests.
Yours sincerely
Kristina Temel
Manager Legal & Policy
Electoral Commission