Voters across Christchurch and Banks Peninsula have just one week left to return their voting papers for the local elections.
Christchurch City Council Electoral Officer Warwick Lampp said all enrolled voters should have received their papers in the post by now.
“If you haven’t already, the next step is to return your voting document into an orange vote bin or post it back,” Lampp said.
“If you want to mail it in, please make sure you post it in the supplied postage-paid envelope by 5pm on Tuesday 7 October to make sure we get them in time for them to count.”
Voting officially closes at midday on Saturday 11 October. Orange vote bins are stationed at libraries, customer service hubs, recreation and sport centres, and supermarkets across the district right up until the deadline.
So far, 22.3 percent of eligible voters have returned their papers. At the 2022 local elections, the final turnout was 43.31 percent.
“It would be great to see turnout increase year on year. Local elections always seem to attract less interest than general ones, but because local government touches on so many parts of your everyday life, we can’t stress enough the importance of having your say in how your city is run,” Lampp said.
People can find details about the candidates in the booklet included with their voting papers or on the Council’s website.
Anyone who has not received voting papers, or has lost or damaged theirs, can still take part by casting a special vote. These can be issued from Council service hubs, or by contacting the election team by email or phone.
Progress results will be released on the afternoon of election day, Saturday 11 October.
