Advance voting for the general election opened on Monday.
Southland electorate manager Bernadette Weller said there had been an increase in people taking advantage of advance voting, making their selection before election day — Saturday, October 14.
Twenty-nine percent of people cast an advance vote in the 2014 general election, which grew to 47% in 2017 and increased further to 68% in 2020.
‘‘We expect the popularity of advance voting to continue and are prepared for similar levels of voting before election day this year,’’ Ms Weller said.
People who were enrolled to vote before September 10 will receive an EasyVote package in the mail, she said.
The EasyVote package contains information on how to vote and candidates in a electorate. It also includes an EasyVote card, which makes the voting process easier, but is not essential.
Ms Weller suggested any voters wanting to cast avote before election day should check the hours of their voting location, as hours may vary.
On election day, voting places will be open from 9am to 7pm.
A full list of voting places can be found on the Electoral Commission’s website: https://vote.nz.
Ms Weller said enrolments in Southland were already ahead of those for 2020, with 47,817, or 86.5%, of eligible voters enrolled.
In Waitaki, enrolments are slightly below those of the last election, with 51,926 people, or 89%, of eligible voters enrolled.
