Nearly one million ballots have already been cast in New Zealand's general election, with early voting running well ahead of the pace set in 2023. The country's Electoral Commission said 913,762 votes were cast between 26 October and 1 November, the first week of early voting.

That total represents a 28 per cent increase on the same period in the 2023 election. Saturday was the busiest day so far, with more than 190,000 votes issued in a single day, according to the commission.

Six more days to vote

Chief Electoral Officer Karl Le Quesne said voting had got off to a good start and noted that six more days of voting remained. Around 600 voting places will be open each day this week, rising to more than 2,300 on election day itself, 7 November.

The strong early turnout has come despite a change to enrolment rules that has drawn criticism. The government ended enrolment 13 days before election day, and critics have argued that the earlier cut-off could deter some people from taking part.

A tightly contested election

Latest polls show no clear winner or coalition grouping in what is described as a tightly contested election. That uncertainty, combined with the high early turnout, means the final days of campaigning are likely to focus heavily on undecided voters and on turning out supporters who have not yet voted.

Voters who have not yet cast a ballot still have the rest of the week to vote early, or can vote on 7 November at one of the more than 2,300 polling places open on election day.

Sources

Reuters: New Zealand early voting surges ahead of November 7 election
Froggy Web (Reuters report): New Zealand early voting surges ahead of November 7 election