NEWS RELEASE
15 September 2016
Voting papers to be posted tomorrow
If you love the parks and peaks, the laneways and landmarks of this vibrant little Capital City, then vote to make sure
they’re all well taken care of.
Some 141,904 voting papers will be sent to all enrolled voters in Wellington City between tomorrow (Friday 16 September)
andWednesday 21 September.
Wellington City Electoral Officer Warwick Lampp urges all Wellingtonians to vote early. “This is your chance to
influence the direction of the city over the next three years. Local elections are extremely important because councils
have a huge role to play in our lives.”
Warwick urges voters to find out all they can about candidates before voting. “Candidate information is included with
the voting papers. You can also find out more about candidates on the Council’s website (wellington.govt.nz/candidates) or by attending a ‘meet the candidates’ meeting in your community or by looking at their own social media pages.”
Wellington City Council is one of eight local authorities that use the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system for
electing their mayor and councillors.
Under STV, voters rank their preferred candidates by placing a ‘1’ in the box next to the candidate they most prefer, a
‘2’ beside the candidate they next prefer, and so on. You can rank as many or as few candidates as you like – you don’t
have to rank them all. A detailed explanation of how STV works can be found on at stv.govt.nz website.
Wellingtonians will also be asked to vote for candidates for the Capital Coast District Health Board, Greater Wellington
Regional Council’s Wellington Ward. Voters in the city’s rural west will also be asked to vote for members of the
Makara-Ohariu Community Board.
Voters have until noon on Saturday 8 October to return their papers. Voters need to return the completed voting papers
in the Freepost return envelope provided – either by post, or to a ballot box.
“Ballot boxes will be in city libraries and at the Council offices from tomorrow. Just make sure they reach my office in
plenty of time before voting closes on 8 October,” says Warwick.
If you’re voting by post, the last day for posting your papers is Wednesday 5 October. And if you’re heading out of town
during the school holidays, remember to vote before you go or take the papers with you for posting.
If you haven’t received voting papers by Thursday 22 September, you will have to cast a special vote in the elections.
If your voting papers are damaged or spoiled, or your name was added to the electoral roll after 12 August, a special
vote will be needed.
To apply for a special vote, phone 04 499 4444 or call into the elections office at 101 Wakefield Street.
There are no elections for Tawa Community Board because nominated candidates have been elected unopposed.
For more information about the elections, visit wellington.govt.nz/elections