Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) is encouraging people to get their votes in quickly with voting closing at noon this Saturday.

QLDC Electoral Officer Jane Robertson said postal votes need to be posted by tomorrow (Tuesday 4 October) in order to be counted in this local election.

Alternatively, voting papers can be dropped off at the ballot boxes at Council’s Queenstown and Wānaka offices or at the Frankton and Arrowtown libraries up until noon on Saturday 8 October.

Ms Robertson encouraged anyone who is not enrolled, or did not receive voting papers in the mail, to make a special vote in person at Council’s Queenstown and Wānaka office.

“It only takes a few minutes, and our staff are on hand to guide people through the steps to cast a special vote,” she said.

Voter returns are currently lower than the two previous elections in 2019 and 2016.

As of 30 September 15.68% of the eligible population has voted. At the same time in 2019 and 2016, voter turn-out was at 20.62% and 28.93% respectively.

Ms Robertson said there are many theories around the trend of lower voter turnout.

“We’re not alone within New Zealand in seeing a decline, or indeed around the world. However, I want to stress the importance of voting in local elections. Councillors and Community Board Members make decisions on behalf of the community, not just now, but into the future too,” she said.

“To those still making up their mind about who to vote for, it’s easy to learn more about the candidates looking to represent you for the next three years, and where they stand on the issues you care about.”

“A good place to start is policy.nz/2022 where you can find out who is standing, what their policies and priorities are, and why they are standing. A booklet of candidate profiles is also available at our offices and included in voting packs. Most candidates also have a presence on social media. Candidate debates have also been covered in local media with several recorded and still available to stream online,” she said.

Voting closes at noon on Saturday 8 October. Preliminary results will be available later that day with the final result due by Thursday 13 October.

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