Rural voting services

The Electoral Commission is assuring New Zealanders that there are good levels of voting services right across the country.

“We will have more than 2,300 voting places open on election day, including in rural areas, so everyone can vote,” says Karl Le Quesne, Chief Electoral Officer.

Reports of hundreds of voting places being closed in remote areas on election day are not correct. In every electorate, there are voting places that are open during advance voting but not open on election day. In total, there are 265 voting places only open during advance voting this election, compared with 230 in 2020 and 305 in 2017.

“There are changes to voting place locations in urban and rural regions every election determined by factors including the availability of locations, staffing levels, and local demand. Some voting places are open just during advance voting, others are open during advance voting and on election day, and others are open just on election day,” says Karl Le Quesne.

In nine rural electorates, the number of voting places open on election day this year is 603, compared with 664 in 2020, and 629 in 2017. In 2020, there were more voting place locations as a COVID-19 measure to reduce queues across the voting period.

We encourage voters to check opening hours and locations before they go to vote. You can put your address into a map at vote.nz to find your closest voting places and when they’re open. A list of voting places is in your EasyVote pack. Or you can call 0800 36 76 56 for information.