The Electoral Commission is urging people to take advantage of a big increase in advance voting places open this weekend to get out and vote early.

Chief Electoral Officer Alicia Wright says about 450 voting places were open last Saturday, but the number will jump to nearly 1,350 voting places this Saturday and about 850 on Sunday.

On election day itself, Saturday 17 October, the Commission will have about 2,600 voting places open.

“The turnout since voting opened on Saturday has been very strong, with more than 475,000 votes cast in the first five days – far exceeding the 309,000 votes cast in the first five days in 2017,” says Alicia Wright.

Enrolment numbers are up too, with 91 per cent of eligible voters enrolled compared with 90 per cent at the same time in 2017. Among 18- to-29-year-olds, the increase is even higher – 75 per cent compared with 71 per cent in 2017.

The Commission says the hours advance voting places are open vary, and people can check where their nearest voting place is and when it’s open online at vote.nz or by ringing 0800 36 76 56.

The Commission says people should bring their EasyVote card with them when they vote to make the voting process quicker and easier, although they can still vote without one. People who have not yet enrolled are able to do so at the same time as they vote.

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