Voting for local councils closes at midday on Saturday, but so far less than a third of eligible Southlanders have cast their vote.

Time has now run out for people to post their ballot papers in the mail so people are instead being encouraged to deliver their votes by hand.

As of today (October 8) none of Southland’s three territorial councils have had returns greater than one third, or 33%. Southland District Council (SDC) returns totalled 28.08%. For the Gore District Council (GDC), returns were 30.61% as of 2.30pm yesterday, and Invercargill City Council (ICC) also came in around 30%.

In the Southland District, voting papers could be handed in at any local SDC office or library.

SDC deputy electoral officer Clare Sullivan said special voting was also available at council offices in Invercargill, Winton, and Stewart Island, as well as the Te Anau Library. 

In Gore, GDC deputy electoral officer Luke Blackbird said people could hand in their voting papers at the GDC office in Gore, or at the Mataura Library and Service Centre. Special voting was also available at the main Gore office, which would be open on Saturday morning from 9am to 12noon.

ICC deputy electoral officer Michael Morris said it was important that voters did not post their votes from tomorrow (October 9), as there was no guarantee they would arrive to be counted in time.

Voters could still drop their voting papers into ballot boxes at the Invercargill Public Library, the Invercargill City Council Civic Administration Building on Esk Street, or the Bluff Service Centre right up until voting closes at midday on October 12.

Votes can be dropped into ballot boxes during business hours, with the Civic Administration Building also set to open between 9am and midday on Saturday.

“If you have accidentally damaged your voting papers, or if you did not receive them, you may still be able to cast a special vote,” Mr Morris said.

“We encourage you to give us a call, or pop in to see our friendly staff at the CAB or at the Bluff Service Centre and we can help make this happen.”