The official voting period for the general election begins today. Eligible people have been able to vote from overseas since last week, and today the early voting period begins. Here’s everything you need to know about casting your vote before election day – and the difference between advance, special and ordinary votes. All information has been sourced from the Electoral Commission, the entity responsible for running parliamentary elections. 

What is advance voting? 

An advance or early vote is a vote cast before election day on October 14. Anyone eligible for voting in New Zealand can vote early. The advance voting period for the 2023 election starts on October 2. 

If you would like to vote early, you can do this at any voting location in New Zealand. You can vote early whether you are properly enrolled or not. If you’re not enrolled or need to update your enrolment details, you will need to fill out an extra form when you vote. 

More than 400 voting places across New Zealand are open today and more than 2300 stations will be open from 9am to 7pm on election day. 

Voting stations can be busy at certain times of the day. The quieter times to vote are typically between 9–11am and 2–4pm Monday to Friday. 

Why do we have advance voting and why is it important? 

Traditionally, you needed a special reason to vote before an election but the law changed before the 2011 election and a reason to vote early was no longer required. 

The Electoral Commission’s deputy chief executive of operations Anusha Guler said since the law change, early voting has become increasingly popular. 

Prior to the law change, 11.2 per cent of voters or 267,078 people cast advance votes in the 2008 general election. Since then, early voting grew to 67.7 per cent or 1.9m people in the 2020 election. 

“It provides a convenient option for voters when they know they’ll be away, working or busy on election day. 

“To meet the increased demand for voting before election day, we have more voting places in locations that are easy to access on the way to work, study, or shopping, when people are going about their day-to-day lives.” 

What is a special vote? 

A special vote is the alternative to an “ordinary vote”. If you are properly enrolled and are voting at a station within your electorate, your vote will be an ordinary vote. 

If your name is not printed on the electoral roll at your chosen voting station, you will cast a special vote. 

There are several reasons why your name may not be printed on the electoral roll, including if you’re voting outside your electorate or from overseas; if you’re not enrolled to vote or you need to update your enrolment details; or if you enrolled after September 10. 

If you are away from home and want to vote, you can do this at the nearest voting station by casting your special vote. The only practical difference between an ordinary and a special vote is that if you are casting a special vote, you will need to fill out an extra form. 

Are advance and special votes counted the same way as ordinary votes? 

All types of votes are worth the same when it comes to the final result. 

The Electoral Commission does a preliminary count first and then the official count. All votes cast in the General Election are counted by hand and counted twice, including early or overseas votes. The commission does not use vote counting machines. 

Two versions of the results are produced: preliminary and final. Advance votes can be counted from 9am on election day while ordinary votes are counted once voting closes on election day at 7pm. 

Preliminary election results are released progressively from 7pm on www.electionresults.govt.nz. The commission aims to have 95 per cent of the preliminary results available by 11.30pm. Special votes are counted later as they can come in up to 10 days after election day. 

The second and official count of votes begins the day after the election and is declared on November 3. 

Can I vote early or on election day if I am not enrolled right now? 

Yes, but you will need to fill in an extra form. This means it may take a little bit longer to complete your vote. 

You can only vote if you are correctly enrolled. If you enrol by September 10, you’ll get an information pack sent to your address with information about the people and parties to choose from, and where and when you can vote. 

If you have not enrolled before election day, you can do it on the day. 

Can I vote if I’m overseas? 

Yes. Overseas and telephone dictation voting starts September 27. You can vote from overseas by downloading your voting papers from the Electoral Commission’s website, completing them and uploading them. 

Voters who are overseas can vote until 7pm on election day (NZ time). About 78,000 enrolled voters have an overseas address. 

There are also 74 locations overseas where New Zealanders can vote in person, including 10 voting places in Australia. 

Telephone dictation voting also starts today for people who are blind, partially blind or have a physical disability that means they cannot mark their voting paper without help. You must register for this service. 

Julia Gabel is an Auckland-based reporter with a focus on data journalism. She joined the Herald in 2020.