NEWS RELEASE
13 November 2009

Hey Tawa, get your vote in before it's too late!

Tawa residents have just over a week now to get their votes in for the Tawa Community Board by-election. But if they're planning to send their vote by mail, they had better send it in the next few days - otherwise they might miss out.

Tawa residents should have received their voting papers in the mail for the by-election - which is being held next Saturday, 21 November to fill one vacancy on the Community Board.

Wellington City Council's Electoral Officer, Ross Bly, is reminding Tawa residents not to let procrastination rob them of their chance to vote. "If you still haven't put your vote in the mail by the end of play on Thursday, you should really deliver your voting papers by hand - otherwise you'll risk not having your vote count."

If people leave it too late to send their completed voting papers by post, they can still drop them off at Mervyn Kemp Library during normal business hours until 12 noon on Saturday 21 November. A polling booth for special votes will also open at the City Service Centre, 101 Wakefield Street, central city, until 12 noon on the Saturday - and completed voting papers can be dropped off there as well.

So far 2460 voting papers have been returned - just under 25 percent of the 10,000 or so papers that were sent out.

The by-election is being held by postal vote under the single transferrable voting (STV) electoral system and the following candidates are standing for election:
* Richard HERBERT (Independent)
* Maree Helen LIBEAU (Independent)
* Carol LONG (Independent)
* Margaret LUCAS (Independent)
* Thomas G P MORGAN
* Malcolm Lloyd SPARROW (Independent)
* Alistair SUTTON (Independent)
* Neil John WILSON (Tawa Listening Project).

People who enrol between 2 October and 20 November must apply to the Electoral Officer for a special vote if they want to vote in the by-election.

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