Electoral Law in New Zealand: Practice and Policy, 2nd edition

Electoral Law in New Zealand: Practice and Policy not only sets out the legal rules that apply to elections but also explains why they are that way in straightforward manner. Written by New Zealand's foremost expert on the topic, Election Law in New Zealand is accessible reading for both the legally trained and lay reader and has been recognized as an authoritative source by both the High Court and the Court of Appeal.

This second edition updates developments since 2007 including:

• The 2011 referendum on the electoral system and the subsequent Electoral Commission review of MMP;
• The creation of a new Electoral Commission that performs the various administrative responsibilities relating to elections;
• Changes to political funding rules and voting procedures;
• The judicial discussion of political party selection processes in the Payne v National Party and Payne v Adams litigation;
• The Court of Appeal's discussion of election broadcast regulation in Alliance Party of New Zealand v Electoral Commission;
• The prohibition on prisoners voting under the Electoral (Disqualification of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Act 2010.

In addition, responding to feedback from the first edition, the author has added a discussion of the issue of electronic voting and a new section on the issue of referenda.

The Electoral Commission of New Zealand awarded the first edition of the text its Wallace Award for best textbook, article or monograph on electoral matters.

This review was published in LawNews - February 28, 2014