Council election turnout down on previous years

Voting in the 2022 local body elections across Nelson City and Tasman District is lower than it was at the same time in 2019, 2016 and 2013.

Statistics from electionz.com show that as at 3.58pm on Thursday, 7840 of the 41,549 electors’ votes in Tasman had been received. That equates to 18.87% – down from 22.76% in 2019, 27.76% in 2016 and 26.15% in 2013.

On a percentage basis, voters in the Lakes-Murchison ward were leading the way, with 22.36% or 630 of the 2817 electors’ ballot papers having been returned.

The Golden Bay ward was a close second with 22.17% or 966 papers from its 4357 electors, followed by the Moutere-Waimea ward on 18.68% of its 11,293 voters, and the Richmond ward with 18.66% of its 13,550 electors.

Voters in the Motueka ward were in the fifth and final position as of Thursday afternoon, with 16.85% or 1606 of the 9532 electors’ documents received.

As well as being able to mail completed ballot papers in the supplied prepaid envelope via NZ Post, voters have the option of dropping them into one of the secure orange wheelie bins at Tasman District Council service centres, and libraries in Richmond, Motueka, Tākaka and Murchison.

Special voting facilities are also available at the Tākaka, Motueka and Richmond libraries.

People who choose to mail their voting papers are urged to remember that to be counted, all completed documents must be ‘‘in the hands of the electoral officer’’ by noon on election day, next Saturday, October 8.

For the next two Saturdays – October 1 and election day itself – voters can drop their completed forms into the libraries at Richmond, Motueka, Tākaka and Murchison from 9.30am until noon. However, unlike previous years, the council service centres will not be open to accept voting papers.

The Tasman council is using the firstpast-the-post system.

Nelson City Council voter returns as of Thursday at 3.58pm were at 15.34%, or 6023 votes down from 19.32% on the same date in 2019, 24.28% in 2016, and 22.82% in 2013.

Across the wards, in the Central ward, electors have cast 14.72% of votes already, meaning 2736 of 18,582 votes.

In Stoke-Tāhunanui, 3157 out of 19,026 electors have been counted, or 16.59%, and in Wākatu Māori ward, 130 votes out of 1668 electors, or 7.79%.

Nelson voters will elect a mayor and 12 councillors using the Single Transferable Vote system for the first time this election.

Completed voting papers can be posted via the mail or dropped off in one of the orange bins dotted around Nelson.

Nelson council ballot bins are located at the council customer service centre, Elma Turner Library, Stoke Library, Nightingale Memorial Library, Founders Heritage Park, Enner Glynn School, reception, Tāhunanui Community Centre reception, Habitat for Humanity Hub reception, and Victory Community Centre.