All prisoners have been banned from voting under a bill passed by Parliament tonight.
Until now those serving a sentence of three years or more were banned but National MP Paul Quinn's member's bill, voted through 63-58, has changed that.
It means that someone in jail for one day - if that was election day - wouldn't be allowed to vote.
Mr Quinn said during the third reading debate tonight no one was sent to prison for a minor offence, and most inmates had at least 10 previous convictions before they were sentenced to jail.
"The passing of this bill is a triumph for the overwhelming majority of New Zealanders," he said.
Labour, the Greens and the Maori Party opposed the bill.
"This is a stupid piece of legislation, it's nothing more than a political pamphlet," said Labour's law and order spokesman Clayton Cosgrove.
"It has no analysis, there is no evidence attached to it, and Paul Quinn hasn't even put up a decent argument for it."
Mr Cosgrove said there was no evidence, domestic or international, that banning prisoners from voting had any impact at all on crime.
"It will have no effect, they will laugh at it," he said.
National's Sandra Goudie backed the bill and said current law discriminated on the grounds of sentence.
"That's unfair, anyone who is jailed should be denied the vote," she said.
Green Party MP David Clendon said the bill would have no positive effects at all.
"We are dealing with nonsense instead of dealing with problems like the lack of treatment for prisoners with mental health and addiction problems," he said.
National's Wayne Mapp, the only minister to speak during the debate, said offenders who were sent to jail lost their fundamental rights.
"It is surely logical that when you are incarcerated you also do not have the right to vote," he said.
National and ACT supported the bill. Labour, the Greens, The Maori Party, the Progressive Party and United Future opposed it.
NZPA