Scott AlastairALASTAIR SCOTT (National—Wairarapa): Well that last speaker Gareth Hughes completely got the messages wrong made a huge drama and the dramatic notion of not being able to vote is just not right. Anyone in this country can vote and is entitled to vote. They need to be enrolled. That is all they have to do. They have to take some personal responsibility and get themselves enrolled put themselves on the roll—simple as that.So let us be clear—most people are capable and do just that. This inquiry into the 2014 general election is a very good read and traverses exactly the issue that Meka Whaitiri is raising today. It is clear that it does not recommend that people should be able to enrol on voting day. I think there are a couple of issues here; there are two issues. There is the ability to vote and there is the roll and the role of the roll—if I can use the two words together—in the election process.It is important that the roll is accurate. It is important that the roll is accurate for the purposes that have been traversed by both sides of the House. I would like to pick up on one point that Mr Bishop said. Arguably we should not be able to enrol a day before the election—or 2 days 3 days or 4 days before the election—because the accuracy of the roll may not be as accurate as it could be or should be. I accept and agree with Mr Bishop on that point. Therefore to be able to enrol on election day goes against the purposes of the electoral roll for the purpose of this bill.I see what the member is trying to do in getting more people to vote to get them enrolled as late as possible so that they can vote but I think the means is incorrect. If we want to have everyone vote why not suggest a member's bill that makes it compulsory to vote? Perhaps that is the answer. That would have been more useful. And I am not advocating that but to me that would be a much more useful discussion around how we are to get a high participation rate in our general elections; other countries do it.Over 90 percent of us are enrolled to vote—so most of us are enrolled to vote. About 80 percent of us do vote. So just because you are enrolled on the ballot does not mean you are going to exercise your right to vote. There was said in a discussion that 27000-odd people thought that they could vote because they enrolled on the day. To me those 27000 people should have listened to all the adverts taken their personal responsibility seriously and got themselves enrolled on the roll. That is the key to it.I think there are better ways to ensure people do participate education being the primary motive to make sure people are enrolled but to say as the Green Party member said that we are hindering people we are trying to slow people down disabling them to exercise their vote is just a total nonsense—a total nonsense. As I say they are able to enrol; it is very simple. At the moment they can enrol up to the day before election day. So there really is no excuse to be able to rock up on election day to say: Oh I forgot to enrol. I am still entitled to vote." Well I am sorry that is not the case. To be entitled to vote you must be on the roll. I think it is very simple to do so. The little orange man comes round and there is a hell of a lot of stuff that goes into your letterbox.There are some very good other recommendations in this report regarding those people who change—Pita Paraone: So what if they become eligible on the day of the vote?ALASTAIR SCOTT: Good point. Or people who are not in their electorate or who have changed address prior to the election. There are more efficient ways of dealing with that which are recommendations in the report. So those things are positive and they will make the system more efficient and effective. But to enable people to special vote on the day and enrol completely goes against the purpose of the roll and confuses the purpose of the roll with the person's right to vote.Pita Paraone: So the moral of the story is hope that your birthday does not fall on the day of the vote.ALASTAIR SCOTT: So the moral of the story is to ensure that you are enrolled before election day."