Didn’t get your voting papers in the post? You can still special vote

If you haven't received your voting papers in the post, have lost or damaged them, aren’t enrolled (or are enrolled at the wrong address), or if you’re on the unpublished electoral roll, you will need to cast a special vote.

Special Voting

You can cast a special vote at the election hub at Te Awe Library, 29 Brandon Street during the voting period until midday on Saturday 11 October. Additional special voting hubs will be available in the final week before election day at Johnsonville, Karori, Newtown, and Kilbirnie libraries.

If you have received your orange envelope, don’t forget to check out all the candidates then fill out the voting form with your preferences for local ward councillor(s), Mayor, and whether we keep or remove our Māori ward beyond 2028. Seal it up in the pre-paid envelope and send it off by post before 5pm on Tuesday 7 October, or drop-off at one of the many handy orange bins around Pōneke by midday on Saturday 11 October.

I Voted stickers

With voting underway, voters will literally have the chance to wear their civic pride on their sleeves with specially designed “I Voted” stickers created by Tawa Intermediate students.

Each sticker tells a story of creativity, tamariki voices, and what’s important to them, while also making elections more visible, meaningful, and fun, says the Council’s Deputy Electoral Officer Jennifer Parker.

“This recent collaborative initiative between Wellington City Council and Tawa Intermediate is a creative way to start a conversation about local democracy and elections with our tamariki – and voters can get a specially designed sticker to prompt further discussions too.”

Over 4,500 stickers in 24 different designs will be available at special voting locations and events across Wellington while stocks last.

Māori ward binding poll

This year, we are also required to run a binding poll to decide whether we keep or remove our Māori ward beyond 2028. Anyone who is enrolled to vote, whether on the Māori or general electoral roll, is eligible to vote in the poll, which is included with your voting papers. No matter the outcome of the poll, the Māori ward will remain in place until the 2028 election.

But wait, there's more...

As well as the candidate booklets received with voting papers, there are candidate statements and videos on the Council’s election webpage wellington.govt.nz/elections, and candidate booklets in accessible formats online and at the Election Hub at the Brandon Street Te Awe Library throughout the voting period.

The Electoral Commission website vote.nz also has information about enrolling and voting in alternate formats including braille, audio, large print and in different languages. 

This election uses the Single Transferable Vote system (STV). Under STV, voters rank their preferred candidates by placing a ‘1’ in the box next to the candidate they most prefer, a ‘2’ beside the candidate they next prefer, and so on. You can rank as many or as few candidates as you like – you don’t have to rank them all. A detailed explanation of how STV works can be found at stv.govt.nz.