Elections - Vote

Voting Methods

Wellington City Council has the option of using one of the following voting methods at an election or poll:

• postal voting
• booth voting, or
• a combination of both.

The City Council has used the postal voting method to elect its members since 1989.

Postal Voting

Electors receive a voting document in the post and are provided with a freepost envelope to return that document to the Council’s Electoral Officer.

Voting documents are sent out to all eligible voters three weeks before election day. Electors are required to complete and return their papers to the Electoral Officer by no later than 12 noon on polling day (the day on which the voting period for an election or poll ends).

Special Voting

Special votes are available to those electors during the three-week voting period:

• whose names do not appear on the final electoral roll, but who qualify as electors
• who did not receive a voting document
• who spoil or damage a voting document previously posted to them
• whose names appear on the unpublished electoral roll.

You can apply for a special vote by:

• contacting the Electoral Officer, or
• coming to a designated polling booth during the three-week period before polling day.

Special votes require the completion of a statutory declaration. This is a legal requirement and protects against possible duplicate voting.

Related Links

• Single Transferable Vote (STV) website

Department Details:
Democratic Services