Aucklanders urged to hurry up and vote

Aucklanders have only have five days left to pop their voting documents in the post if their votes are to be counted in the inaugural Auckland Council election.

Voting packs for the inaugural Auckland Council elections were delivered between 17 and 22 September and include the actual voting document, background information (profiles) about candidates for mayor, wards and local boards, as well as district health boards and licensing trusts where applicable. The voting packs also contain an orange, postage-paid envelope to send votes back in.

"If Aucklanders want their vote to count, they should put their voting documents in the orange return envelope and post it by Wednesday, 6 October 2010," says Auckland Council Electoral Officer Dale Ofsoske.

"After that, they should hand deliver their voting documents to one of the following venues if they want to have their say on Auckland's future direction."

The Electoral Office Level 8, 92 Albert Street, Auckland
North Shore City Council Level 3, 1 The Strand, Takapuna
Papakura District Council 35 Coles Crescent, Papakura
Rodney District Council Centreway Road, Orewa
Waitakere City Council 6 Henderson Valley Road, Henderson
Franklin District Council 82 Manukau Road, Pukekohe
Manukau City Council 31-33 Wiri Station Road, Manukau
North Shore City Council Level 3, 1 The Strand, Takapuna

Voting documents can also be dropped off at the Auckland City Council service centres on Waiheke and Great Barrier and the Rodney District Council service centres in Helensville, Kumeu-Huapai and Warkworth.

Two weeks into the three-week voting period, 24.8 per cent of voting documents have been returned compared with 19.2 per cent at the same stage of the voting period during the last election in 2007. The highest voter turn out so far has been Great Barrier Island with a 41.1 per cent turnout followed by Waiheke on 34.8 per cent. The lowest so far is Kaipatiki on 197 per cent.

In total, 545 nominations were received for 170 vacancies – 23 mayoral candidates, 102 council candidates and 420 local board candidates. In the Auckland Council, there will be one mayor, 20 councillors representing 13 wards, and 149 local board members representing 21 local board areas. Information supplied by all candidates as well as a daily update on voter turnout is available on the Auckland Council website, www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz.

Progress and preliminary results will be announced as soon as possible after midday on Saturday 9 October The official results will be announced when special votes have been checked, in the week commencing 11 October.

ENDS

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