Voting opens in Botany by-election tomorrow
Voting in the Botany by-election starts tomorrow (Wednesday 16 February 2011) – for anyone who cannot get to a polling place on election day Saturday 5 March.
“Early votes in the Botany by-election can be made from Wednesday this week, with the opening of advance and overseas voting,” says Robert Peden, Chief Electoral Officer.
“Advance voting is a particularly important option in a by-election. Unlike a general election, there will be no polling places open outside the Botany electorate on election day, so anyone who will be outside the electorate should vote in advance,” says Mr Peden.
“Advance voting makes it easy to vote for anyone who can’t get to a polling place on election day. This can be because they are out of the Botany electorate, sick, working or for any other reason,” says Mr Peden.
Advance voting will be available from Wednesday 16 February in the Botany electorate at:
- Beauty Place, 309 Botany Road, Botany
- Botany Library, Botany Town Centre, 1 Sunset Terrace, Botany
- Meadowlands Methodist Community Church, 128 Whitford Road, Meadowlands
- Tupu Youth Library, 102R Dawson Road, Flat Bush
“Botany voters can also vote in advance at the offices of any Registrar of Electors across the country or at the Electoral Commission, Whitmore Street, Wellington,” says Mr Peden. “Full information on advance voting is available on our website www.elections.org.nz.”
People who are overseas and enrolled in the Botany electorate can also vote from Wednesday.
“The easiest option for people overseas is to download their voting papers from the elections website www.elections.org.nz and fax or post them back so we receive them by 7pm on election day,” says Mr Peden.
People overseas can also apply to have voting papers posted to them or they can vote in person at overseas posts in Australia, China, England, Hong Kong, Samoa and the Cook Islands.
“Anyone going overseas after Wednesday can vote before they go away at an advance voting place,” says Mr Peden.
In the 2008 general election there were 3156 advance votes and 398 overseas votes in the Botany electorate.