Voting and how to get assistance
The Elections New Zealand website contains a full list of polling places and candidates for each electorate and information about each of the Referendum options, as well as detailed information on how to vote.
Need assistance with voting?
If you need help to read or mark your ballot paper, a friend, family member or electoral officials can assist you. You can also ask someone to inspect your voting paper before it is deposited in the ballot box.
This right to ask for assistance is outlined in part 170 of the Electoral Act 1993. For more information, just ask when you go to vote or free phone the Electoral Commission at 0800 36 76 56.
Help for voters unable to get to a polling place
If you are in a rest home or hospital, your Returning Officer will send someone to issue you with your ballot paper. If you are unable to get to a polling place because of sickness, infirmity or disability you can seek help from your Returning Officer. For contact details and more information visit www.elections.org.nz or free phone 0800 36 76 56.
A note about accessible voting
Currently, New Zealand does not have a voting method that is independently accessible for blind and partially sighted people, such as electronic voting, telephone voting or braille-based methods. This means that blind and partially sighted people can not fully express the right to vote "by secret ballot" as provided for in the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. Currently, most blind and partially sighted New Zealanders have to rely on friends, family or strangers to assist them with voting.
The Electoral Commission's Accessibility Action Plan for the 2011 Election stated that the priority to be given to further work on electronic voting will be revisited after the 2011 election has been completed.
Brochures about voting
The RNZFB has been working closely with the Electoral Commission to produce brochures about the Referendum in accessible formats. Read the brochures in your preferred accessible format:
- Read 2011 Referendum on the Voting System' in electronic text & large print (.doc, 44kb).
- Read Voting in the 2011 General Election and Referendum on the Voting System' in electronic text & large print (.doc, 42kb).
- Read both documents on the election and referendum combined in braille (.brf, 18kb).
You can also listen to these brochures on the Telephone Information Service menu 7 3 1.