Election Questions and Answers

Contact the Deputy Electoral Officer, Robyn Blue, at demservices@cdc.govt.nz, or call 027 444 1561.

Voting for the Carterton District Council election is ‘First Past the Post’ (FPP). The candidate or candidates that get the most votes win(s). This is the voting system being used by Carterton District Council this election year.  Under FPP you can vote for as many candidates as you want but not more than the number of positions available on the voting document.  You put a tick in the circle for the candidates you want to elect.

If registered, you also have the option to vote in the Greater Wellington Regional Council elections. The Regional Council currently operates its elections under the ‘Single Transferable Vote’ system. STV stands for Single Transferable Vote.  STV is a preferential system of voting where you can rank as few or as many candidates as you like. 

• For more information on GWRC’s election process, visit www.gw.govt.nz/your-council/council-and-councillors/local-governance-statement/the-electoral-system-and-processes/
• For more information about STV, go to www.stv.govt.nz.

You will automatically appear on the roll that is used for the upcoming local body elections if:

• Carterton district is your main place of residence
• You have lived at your current address for more than one month
• You have enrolled to vote with the Electoral Commission and they have your current address.

If you have moved address since the last election, update your details at vote.nz, or contact us.

For more information on enrolment, visit our Information for Voters page.

If you own a property in this district and it is not your main residence you may be able to enrol as a Ratepayer elector. Download and complete the Carterton District Ratepayer Enrolment form.

The Electoral Commission will be undertaking a roll update campaign in early July 2022 in order to ensure the Parliamentary Electoral Roll which forms the basis of electoral rolls for the local authority election is as up-to-date as possible.

If you don’t receive a letter in the post during late June/early July 2022, the chances are you are not enrolled, or your details are incorrect.

You can also check your enrolment status on vote.nz.

Not necessarily. If you are enrolling for the first time you can decide whether you want to go on the Māori Electoral Roll or the General Electoral Roll by signing the appropriate panel on the Parliamentary Elector Enrolment form.

However, if you have already made that choice you will have to wait until the next Māori Option period to change, which occurs following the next census, likely in 2023.

The last Māori Option period was in 2018.

You need to complete a Ratepayer Enrolment form for Carterton District Council.

Download a Ratepayer Elector registration form .

This should be received by Electoral Officer by 12 August 2022 and absolutely no later than 4 pm Friday 7 October 2022.

If it is after Friday 16 September 2022 (when the voting papers are starting to be delivered) you can be sent a Special Voting form and the Ratepayer Enrolment form.

Return these together in-person to Carterton District Council, 28 Holloway St, Carterton.

If it is easier you can complete the ratepayer enrolment form and have your special vote at the same time when at our office.

If the property is jointly owned, one person is nominated to vote.

Yes, subject to being eligible to become enrolled as a ratepayer elector and becoming enrolled.

Download the Ratepayer Enrolment Form .

The electoral roll will be open for public inspection at the Carterton District Council office and library from 15 July 2022 to 12 August 2022.

No, you don’t have to vote.  You also don’t have to vote for all candidates or for all elections.  But your vote is important because the people elected will be responsible for making decisions about what happens in your community for the next three years.

To help you get to know about the candidates:

• there is a candidate profile booklet that comes out with the voting documents. This information will also be available on this website.
• there may be candidate meetings being held where you can meet the candidates and hear what policies the candidates are advocating for.
• Candidates often have their own social media page(s), advertise in local newspapers, and send out information to letterboxes in your area.
• Local newspapers will cover information about the election.

As this is postal vote, the vote must be received by Saturday 8 October.

In order to ensure postal delivery by 8 October, the final day you can post your vote is Tuesday 4 October 2022.

If you are voting after this time, you can deliver it in the sealed envelope provided to Carterton District Council up until 12 pm, Saturday 8 October 2022.

If post is not your preferred option, between Friday 16 September and up until 12 pm, Saturday 8 October hand delivery of voting documents will be accepted at the main office of the Carterton District Council at 28 Holloway St. Please provide the voting documents in the sealed enveloped provided.

Yes. If you’re 17, you can fill out an enrolment form now. That means you will be enrolled and ready to vote from age 18 years onwards. .

Enrol online

Use the original and destroy the special vote. The reason for this is that processing an original voting document is much simpler than processing a special vote. A special vote takes a lot more time and more importantly the elector may not have completed the declaration correctly which could make the special vote invalid – hence our advice/preference that the ordinary vote is returned.

Yes, but you need to make sure you have enrolled which you can do provisionally from the age of 17 and it automatically changes when you turn 18. You will also need to apply for a special vote.

If you are a resident in Carterton, and it’s before Wednesday 21 September 2022: please wait until the mail has been delivered on Wednesday 21 September 2022. If documents are not received after that it is possible your name is not on the Electoral Roll, or documents were delivered to an old address.

If you are a ratepayer but Carterton is not your main place of residence, complete a Ratepayer enrolment form .

This must be returned to the Electoral Officer by 4 pm Friday 7 October 2022.

As you will not be on the electoral roll you will also be sent a special voting form at the same time This can be returned with your enrolment form.

However, if it is easier, you can complete the ratepayer enrolment form and have your special vote at the same time when you come to the Carterton District Council office.

You can be sent special voting forms in the mail which you will need to return in person to Carterton District Council.

You can also collect them from the Carterton District Council office and vote at the same time.

Visit the Carterton District Council office at 28 Holloway Rd between Monday 19 September and Friday 7 October during office hours from 9 am and 4 pm.

Special votes will also be accepted on Election Day from 9am to 12pm.  

Elected members take up office the day after the official result has been declared by public notice.  However, they cannot act until they have sworn the oath of office which is usually at the first meeting of council.  This first meeting is usually held as soon as practicable after the final election results are known.

Progress and preliminary results will be announced as soon as possible after 12 noon on Saturday 8 October 2022