The New Zealand government has changed the law to allow prisoners to vote.
Minister Andrew Little has announced the move over the weekend.
From now prisoners sentenced to less than three years in jail will have their voting rights restored.
The law change will allow 1900 prisoners to vote means the law will return to how it was before a National-led government removed voting rights from all prisoners in 2010.
A Waitangi Tribunal report found that law change disproportionally impacted Māori prisoners. Furthermore, a High Court declaration stated the current law is inconsistent with the right to vote in the Bill of Rights Act.
Mr Little said the government aims to help prisoners be productive citizens upon their release.
Opposition leader Simon Bridges has said that if they are elected at the next election they will change the law back.
7 Responses
Why did they change the law
i think it might be a bad idea because the prisioners might choose a bad person
this seems fair because they haven’t done that bad things
i think this is a good idea because some prisoners are good cause all they wanna do is to help there family cause they love people as well. so all those loyars out there should be proud that one of them changed the law
I think it is a good idea to change the law because if the food is bad so they want to change it. If they miss their family they can put a picture of there family and they can fun and if they forgive the stuff they have done and change there attitude and be kind to others! And show some respect to others!
I think it is a good idea to change the law because if the food is bad so they want to change it. If they miss their family they can put a picture of there family and they can fun and if they forgive the stuff they have done and change there attitude and be kind to others! And show some respect to others!
Also in my opinion prisoners should not vote because every bad person in jail will pick a bad leader