Jacinda Ardern praises woman for showing up to vote in her wedding dress
Jacinda Ardern has taken to Instagram to praise a New Zealand woman for turning out to vote in a very unusual outfit; her wedding dress.
"I'm captioning this one 'commitment'!" Ardern wrote alongside the powerful photo.
"Congratulations @amberleighjack on your big day, and thanks for reminding us all that no matter what you're up to, there's always time to vote."
The Prime Minister seemed to have spotted the bride as she arrived to vote after her wedding ceremony, still decked out in her flowing white gown.
Flanked by three bridesmaids who had also come to vote, the bride – Amberleigh Jack – was a powerful symbol for many female voters in the snap.
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Jack had a small ceremony on Saturday – in keeping with current event restrictions in New Zealand – and shared photos of the festivities to her own Instagram account.
She married partner Darren Patterson, captioning a snap of them cutting their wedding cake with: "Holy s—t. I got married today!"
Jack also posted her own photo of herself and three of her bridesmaids at a polling location, where they went to vote in Auckland.
Unlike Australia, voting is not compulsory in New Zealand, meaning most brides would be likely to skip the polling booths on their big day.
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It makes Jack's decision to show up all the more inspirational and empowering, as the issue of voter rights is being discussed around the world.
In the US, Meghan Markle and other powerful female figures are encouraging American women to vote in the upcoming presidential election.
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Voting is not compulsory in the US, and many women, people of colour, and individuals from other minority groups can feel dissuaded from voting.
Ardern is up for reelection this month, with the official voting on October 17 and early voting period beginning on October 3.
Prime Minister And Labour Leader Jacinda Ardern meets supporters at Otara Market on October 10, 2020. Getty
Opinion polls have shown strong support for Ardern, who has been widely praised for her leadership throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
If she wins, Ardern will enter her second term in office and continue to serve as Prime Minister.
