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Information for votersNgā kōrero whakamārama mā ngā kaipōti

If you’re not a Napier resident but own property here, you can vote in local body elections. You also need to make sure your current address is up-to-date so voting forms get to you on time. Read on below for how to vote on election day and important info about special voting.

How to vote?

First you need to make sure you're on the New Zealand electoral roll - and that you either live in Napier, or own property here.

You're eligible to enrol if you:

  • are 18 years of age or older, and
  • are a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, and
  • have lived in New Zealand continuously, at any time, for one year or more, and
  • have lived at your current address for more than one month.

We often get asked if people with multiple properties in Napier receive multiple voting papers. No, they don't. However, people who own property in other districts may also be able to vote there as well as here in Napier. You'll need to contact the electoral officer of the local council area where you own property but don't (usually) live. They'll send you a form to complete, sign and return, and then check your eligibility.

But what if you're a non-Napier resident - but own property in Napier? Can you vote? Yes, you can - but you'll need to register on our ratepayer roll.

Where to vote?

Our local body elections are by postal vote. Your papers should arrive around three weeks before election day. We recommend that you read the candidate booklet when it arrives, vote and mail your papers back quickly (in the prepaid envelope provided). You can also drop them back into the Council offices.

If your papers don't arrive for some reason, or they are significantly damaged or destroyed, you can come into Council before election day and cast a special vote. 

What is a special vote?

Special Votes are available to electors:

  • whose names do not appear on the final electoral roll, but who nevertheless qualify. Usually this is when the elector has enrolled after the roll closed 
  • who did not get a voting paper that had been posted to them
  • who spoiled or damaged a voting paper that had been posted
  • who are going to be overseas over the election period (if you're super-organised, we may be able to send papers to your overseas address)
  • who are on the unpublished roll.

You can either pick up your special voting pack from us, or we can post it out to you. However, the completed voting papers must be returned to the Electoral Officer in the envelope supplied. This is very important as special votes also require the completion of a statutory declaration. Why? It's a legal requirement, and it also offers electors protection against possible duplicate voting.

If an elector wants to make a special vote, but is not on the Parliamentary Roll (e.g. they have just turned 18), they must enrol at a Post Office during normal business hours. Special vote declarations are forwarded to the Registrar of Electors who check that the elector is eligible.

NOTE: Special Votes cannot be collected by candidates or their assistants for distribution to electors. 

Who to vote for?

We recommend you read the candidate's blurbs which are available to read on our Meet the Candidates page. A paper copy of the Candidate Profile booklet will be posted out with your voting papers. If you would like to learn more on where your candidates stand when it comes to policies that are important to you, Policy NZ has provided an informative platform where you can compare candidate views in areas such as climate change, housing and planning, rates and revenue, transport and more! To discover more on your candidate's views on policies that matter to you, visit Policy NZ.

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While every endeavour has been taken by the Napier City Council to ensure that the information on this website is accurate and up to date, Napier City Council shall not be liable for any loss suffered through the use, directly or indirectly, of information on this website. Information contained has been assembled in good faith. Some of the information available in this site is from the New Zealand Public domain and supplied by relevant government agencies. Napier City Council cannot accept any liability for its accuracy or content. Portions of the information and material on this site, including data, pages, documents, online graphics and images are protected by copyright, unless specifically notified to the contrary. Externally sourced information or material is copyright to the respective provider.

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