Electoral Commission uses Green Party slogan, calls it a ‘common phrase’

Summarised by Centrist

The Electoral Commission has used the Green Party’s election slogan, “For all of us”, in an official enrolment advertisement, then dismissed concerns about political neutrality by calling it a “common phrase”.

The Greens formally launched “For All of Us” as their 2026 election slogan on 26 July. Co-leader Marama Davidson said it was “the message we will be taking to all corners of the country this year”.

After the same words appeared in an Electoral Commission advertisement, the supposedly impartial election administrator was challenged publicly over the overlap.

The Commission did not deny using the slogan. Instead, on a social media post, it replied: “The use of this common phrase in one of our ads is a small part of the narration encouraging people to enrol so they can vote in the election.”

It added that the advertisement ended with “Enrol to vote by 25 October at vote.nz” and was “clearly identified as being from the Electoral Commission”.

Editor’s note: Calling “For all of us” a “small part” of the advertisement confuses length with importance. It may occupy only four words, but it is the advertisement’s emotional payoff. The Commission points out that the ad literally ends with “Enrol to vote by 25 October at vote.nz”, but that is the administrative call to action, not the message designed to stay with voters. 

The issue is why a state agency responsible for maintaining trust in an “effective and impartial electoral system” is repeating the exact campaign slogan of one political party during an election campaign.

Once the Greens formally adopted it as their election slogan, it acquired an unmistakable political association. There is no evidence the Commission deliberately set out to promote the Greens. But its response effectively acknowledges the overlap while attempting to justify it, rather than recognising the appearance of bias and changing the advertisement. Identifying who produced the advertisement does not answer the concern.

For an organisation overseeing political advertising and enforcing election rules, “it’s a common phrase” is a surprisingly casual defence of its own political neutrality.

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