Be careful of what you wish for

[WarBlade]

I found it interesting to see that the New Zealand law apparently requires you to register, or rather enrol, once 18.  Or maybe I understood that incorrectly.  That requirement raises an interesting question: is it a punishable offense to NOT register, or enrol to vote, once 18 or older?

Warblade, did I read this incorrectly?

That tells me that you are violating a law if you don't enrol.  But perhaps I am missing a nuance.

Correct. I think.

Really this is hardly a problem. I want to vote and to vote I have to get enroled so my name can be checked off the list when I cast my vote. After having enroled I recieve an info packet leading up to election time and something else to do with detail confirmation that I can basically ignore.

The info packet contains a little tear off card personalized to me that I hand in when I go to cast my vote (the card's not compulsory - it's just to aid the volunteer vote collectors).

I don't know what happens if people don't get on the role. There's no obligation to actually vote and getting on the role is as easy as filling in a name, address and occupation (first two have to be accurate - occupation is whatever you feel fits the bill).