Early voting numbers lagging behind last election

Advance votes for this year's general election are lagging behind the same time last election, in 2020.

About 260,000 fewer votes had been cast by Wednesday, 10 days out from election day.

However, in the South Auckland electorates of Panmure-Ōtāhuhu and Manurewa, many young people were planning to join the ranks of first-time voters.

The Electoral Commission had set up shop in libraries, churches, memorial halls, and marae, bringing voting stations into the spaces people used.

Bernadette Rapana beat the election day queues by voting on Wednesday at Te Puke o Tara Community Centre in Ōtara.

"We were here - we do our weekly walk around here - so I thought I might as well go in and do it," she said.

"Yesterday we did line-dancing, so after that, we just went and voted, me and one of the other ladies."

Line-dancing and voting - a peculiar pairing, but one that worked, Bernadette said.

She was among the 204,191 Kiwis who had voted since advance voting began on Monday.

That was tracking behind the equivalent time in 2020, where 468,612 votes were already cast 10 days out from election day.

However, there were two extra days of voting in 2020, with advance voting starting on 3 October and finishing on 16 October.

This year, advance voting started on 2 October and would finish on 13 October.

If comparing the first three days of advance voting, there were 264,744 votes cast in 2020, versus 204,191 this year.

Almost 2 million people cast advance votes at the 2020 election, up from 1.2 million in 2017.

But this year, some first-time voters like Leigh were still unsure exactly when they would get around to it.

"I might vote next week because I know the voting ends on Saturday the 14th," she said.

At the last general election there was a big boost in the number of young people turning out to vote, with an increase of more than 40,000 among 18-to-24-year-olds.

Leigh was keen to continue the trend, but she said some young people might need more of a push.

"People my age don't understand the age limit. They think it's for adults, but little do they know it's also for younger adults as well. Explaining that more to younger adults would be great."

It was not just the youngest getting involved for the first time.

Danny, 37, felt that it was important to have a say at this election.

"I just want to get amongst, be a part of this movement, and have a voice," he said.

Danny wanted his electorate to have a big turnout at the voting booths, so the outcome of the election reflected their interests.

"I just want change, real change, for my hood."

Vikas, 28, said he would cast his first ever vote in the next couple of days.

"Obviously for me, it's the first time, it's a new experience, so I'm pretty excited," he said.

Vikas said young people should realise how much power they had to decide the outcome of the election -- especially in an electorate like Panmure-Ōtāhuhu where about half the population was under the age of 30.

Further south in the Manurewa electorate it was also a young crowd.

At Manukau Institute of Technology, there was a voting station where many students would have their say for the first time.

Shivam, 19, voted on Wednesday to beat the rush on election day.

"Get ahead of the crowd, it's easier, because it wasn't very busy yesterday," he said.

While he did not need any encouragement, he said others may require some persuasion to take part -- and free food always helped.

"An incentive might help bring in the numbers. Last time around they were giving out free pizzas and stuff."

Advance voting would be open until 13 October before election day on 14 October.