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A Christchurch man is concerned that deceased citizens will be able to choose players in this election after receiving a voting card for someone who died 16 years ago.
The Electoral Commission is investigating the situation, but says his is rare.
On Friday, Jason Stagg, a Phillipstown man, received a letter from the commission addressed to Rosston Keith Harris. It contained an easy voting card, which is sent to people in the electoral role as a simple way to vote in the 2020 elections.
Harris died in 2004.
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Stagg said the letter was a “big surprise.”
Joseph Johnson / Stuff
Jason Stagg Stagg moved into the house in 2012 and lives there with his wife and two children. Rosston Keith Harris was her stepfather’s father.
“It is a bit worrisome for me. I wonder how many other people are getting easy voting cards for people who have passed away.
“How many dead are voting in this election?”
He had no recollection of receiving letters on Harris’s behalf in previous elections.
While Stagg did not know the man personally, he knew that he was the previous owner of the house. He was also Harris’s “foster grandfather”.
Stagg moved into the house in 2012 and lives there with his wife and two children. Before that, her mother and stepfather lived there.
Harris was her stepfather’s father.
Stagg decided to post about the letter on social media to draw attention to the issue. He did not contact the commission because he was concerned it would “rub it under the rug.”
Stagg said he had since heard of other people in similar situations, but was taking the claims with “a grain of salt” until there was proof.
“If there are other people who get them, I hope they are honest and give them back.”
A spokesman for the commission said in a statement that it was aware of the situation and was investigating “urgently.”
The commission received daily notifications of Births, Deaths and Marriages to be able to remove the deceased from the list. Situations like this were “rare”.
The spokesperson did not respond to questions about the number of dead people sent out voting cards.
They also didn’t answer whether anyone had voted under Harris’s name since 2004.
Stagg lives in the electorate of Banks Peninsula. The shortlist includes newcomers Tracey McLellan from Labor and Catherine Chu from National, as well as Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage, representing the Green Party.
