People caught voting for others

Five Rotorua people have risked a criminal conviction by trying to vote on someone else's behalf.

Since advance voting opened at the Rotorua Electoral Office on October 22 it has dealt with five cases of people insisting they had power of attorney to cast a vote for another person, the Daily Post reported.

It's illegal to do so under the Electoral Act and the offence carries a maximum penalty of up to one year in jail or a fine of up to $4000, or both.

Rotorua returning officer Barry Gaylard does not believe the five cases are linked or that they have been sparked by any particular political party.

In one case a person claimed to be a caregiver for someone who was infirm and wanted to cast a vote on their behalf, saying they knew what was best for their patient and what political party they considered would be the best for them.

Another person claimed their partner was unable to communicate verbally but they were confident they knew how their partner would vote.

Mr Gaylard said if he did detect a case where a vote had been illegally lodged he would be duty-bound to call the police.

The Electoral Act has a specific section which rules that a person is guilty of corrupt or illegal practice if they vote as some other person "whether that person is living, dead or fictitious". The offence is referred to as "personation".

Nobody has been prosecuted for personation in New Zealand in at least the past two elections, according to a spokeswoman from the Chief Electoral Office.

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