Rules preventing people saying how they have voted and taking selfies with their ticked voting paper will be tested as never before on polling day. Publishing anything on election day that could potentially influence another voter is strictly prohibited in New Zealand. People can post on Facebook that they have voted but not who they have voted for because that may influence others. They can take selfies outside the voting place after they have voted but no pictures are allowed in polling booths depicting ticked boxes on the ballot paper. The Electoral Commission says it will investigate complaints. “This is a long-standing law in New Zealand and one most New Zealanders value,” chief electoral officer Robert Peden told NZ Newswire.
“We recommend that people don’t post election-related tweets or posts on election day, and that parties and candidates unpublish their Facebook pages on election day so that people don’t comment or share pages, and put them, their friends, or their followers at risk of a complaint.”
There’s a potential fine of up to $20,000 for an individual breaching the election day rules, or for displaying an image of a completed ballot paper in the three days ahead of, or on, election day.
This could include images that are posted outside of this period but re-shared, commented on or re-posted on election day.
Full Article: The law is the law on election day.