Noon tomorrow (Wednesday, February 17) is the cut-off for voting in the Invercargill City Council by-election.

Despite most of New Zealand moving to Covid-19 alert level 2 on Monday, people could still drop their vote off to the council in person, observing social distancing and either scanning in with the QR Code or by signing in, the council website says.

Hand sanitiser will be at each ballot box to help ensure safety. Votes can also be dropped in after hours (after 5pm and before 8am) at the Civic Administration Building on Esk Street to reduce chances of contact.

The after-hours slot at the Civic Administration Building is next to the main doors.

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Postal voting closed last Friday (February 12) but anyone who missed that deadline still had until to mid-day Wednesday to drop their vote off in person, deputy electoral officer Michael Morris said.

Votes also could be dropped off in person at the Bluff Service Centre in Gore Street or at the Invercargill Public Library.

Mr Morris said more than 10,863 votes had been received by Friday – meaning about 27 per cent of eligible voters had returned their ballots at that stage. 

If people had not received voting papers, were on the unpublished roll or had damaged papers they could still cast a special vote today and tomorrow morning at the council, he said. 

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By-election candidate Wayne Harpur said on Friday he was among those who had not received voting papers in the post in time to return them by the postal deadline.

He called for an online option for future elections and said he had been contacted by others in a similar situation.

He encouraged those people who had not got their papers to make a special vote so their voices could be heard but said the special vote process was “particularly demanding and expensive” for people having to travel to town or waiting for their documents to be sent by courier.

Nine candidates are contesting the election, with one seat available at the council table following Cr Toni Biddle's resignation last year.   

Read more about each candidate on the Southland App HERE.

More information about the by-election also available on council’s website. 

Reminder: voting closes midday Wednesday, 17 February.