YOU can still vote even if you haven't received your papers.
A NUMBER of voters in the Waitomo and Ōtorohanga Districts have yet to receive their voting papers, despite it being close to the close-off date for the mail vote in the Local Body Elections. And despite NZ Post stating that a check had satisfied it all its election mail had been delivered. “NZ Post has been investigating reports that some residents in some Waikato rural areas have not received their local elections voter packs. We have carried out a nation-wide re-check of all depots to ensure delivery of voter packs has been fully completed as expected,” Jennifer Little, senior communications officer said. However, questions asked by the King Country News showed residents disagreed with that and further enquiries made showed clear pockets of areas with a pattern of residents who were confident they had not received them. Waitomo rural ward candidate Janette Osborne said that as a group, the candidates had found that even some of their number hadn’t received their voting papers. “With the postal voting coming to an end [this weekend], we can only hope people are aware they can cast special votes if they haven’t got theirs.” She said the engagement she and the group had had with people throughout Waitomo clearly showed there was interest by voters, yet this wasn’t being reflected by the returned numbers which were showing less than 10%. Election 2022 returning office Warwick Lampp said he had heard reports around New Zealand of “patchy” delivery, but said voters shouldn’t worry if theirs hadn’t arrived. “There are a number of reasons why people’s voting papers don’t get to them; maybe they’ve changed address since the last one three years ago, maybe they accidentally dropped it in the bin, there’s a raft of reasons really,” he said. “But people can get to their local council offices and cast a special vote – that way, they can be assured their voices are being heard.” Ōtorohanga mayor Max Baxter said he also had heard there were people who had yet to have their voting papers arrive in their district. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t vote.” He said there has been a roughly 10% return on voting papers [by last Thursday] which is pretty poor,” he said. “If you haven’t received your papers, go to your local council before midday on Saturday and do a special vote. “Because if you don’t do that and your voice isn’t heard – you can’t support or criticise your council for anything it might do in the future.” He agreed there were plenty of reasons why it was so low. “People are lethargic, they think their vote won’t matter, or they think others will vote.” “But when voter turnout is as low as it currently is, people may be unpleasantly surprised by the result.” “In today’s times, with the really huge changes in government regulations and reforms, people need to have confidence in the experience of their council,” he said. Meanwhile, Jenelle Burnell, the Waitomo District Council’s communications manager, said the council couldn’t comment on why the papers weren’t arriving, but could help with the special voting process. “People are welcome to cast a special vote if voting papers do not arrive. This can be done at our main council office during opening hours. “Our office will also be open on Saturday October 8 until midday to receive voting papers and to take special votes. “For those unable to come into the office to complete a special vote, a declaration and voting papers can be picked up on behalf of someone, however council [staff] need evidence that the person they are picking it on behalf of has given consent for that person to collect their documents, i.e. letter/email and/or phone call to the council,” she said. Voting papers can be returned in the supplied postage envelope, the orange ballot boxes at any council’s main office, most i-SITEs and libraries. They can also be dropped into a NZ Post mailbox.
