Registration of Political Party
On 24 June 2011 the Electoral Commission determined an application made under Part 4 of the Electoral Act 1993 to register the following political party:
Party: Mana
The Electoral Commission determined that the party be registered in accordance with section 67 of the Electoral Act 1993. The register has been updated accordingly.
In reaching its decision, the Board has considered a number of public submissions including submissions on whether the name ‘Mana’ is likely to cause confusion or mislead electors in that one electorate. In particular, the Board has considered whether voters in the Mana electorate are likely to be:
- confused about whether the name ‘Mana’ is referring to the party or to the electorate of the same name; and/or
- misled that the party has a special connection or association with the electorate.
To assess this risk, the Commission has considered a range of matters including:
- the layout of the ballot paper, and the instructions for voters on the ballot paper;
- the use of party logos to distinguish parties and candidates; and
- the way that parties and candidates representing parties make their party affiliation clear during the campaign.
The Board has concluded that although there is a remote possibility of confusing or misleading a small number of electors in the Mana electorate, this falls short of the statutory test for refusal of registration of a political party which is that the name ‘Mana’ is “likely to cause confusion or mislead electors” (section 65(c) of the Act).