Voting gets underway on Monday in the Hamilton West by-election to choose a local member of Parliament.

‘If you’re enrolled in the Hamilton West electorate, you can vote at an advance voting place from Monday 28 November. There will be plenty of opportunity to vote when you are out and about over the next couple of weeks,’ says Karl Le Quesne, Chief Electoral Officer at the Electoral Commission.

Eight voting places will be open on Monday including at Te Awa, the Base, and the Centre Place Shopping Centre in Victoria Street. The number of voting places will increase over the voting period, and 20 voting places will be open on election day, Saturday 10 December.

‘Look out for your EasyVote pack in the mail. The pack includes your EasyVote card which makes voting faster. It also includes a list of voting places and opening hours. Opening hours for advance voting places vary, so make sure you check before you go to vote,’ says Karl Le Quesne.

‘If you live in the Hamilton West electorate and don’t get an EasyVote pack this week, it means you’re not enrolled or you need to update your address on the electoral roll. Do it now, so you can have your say in the by-election.

‘You can enrol or update your details online at vote.nz. You can also enrol and vote at the same time at any voting place, including on election day.’

Voting place locations and opening hours are also available online at vote.nz or by calling freephone 0800 36 76 56.

‘If you can’t get to a voting place because you’re away or unwell, you can still vote. Call 0800 36 76 56 or contact the Electorate Manager (Returning Officer) at hamilton.west@vote.nz for more information.’

Voting for Hamilton West voters who are overseas opened on Wednesday 23 November, along with telephone dictation services for those who are blind, partially blind or have a physical disability that prevents them from marking their voting paper without assistance.

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