New Zealand voters had cast 913,762 advance ballots by Nov. 1, putting early participation 28% above the equivalent first seven voting days in 2023 ahead of the Nov. 7 election.
The Electoral Commission’s comparison is with 712,192 ballots cast across the first seven advance-voting days in 2023. Saturday, Oct. 31, was the busiest day, with 192,663 votes recorded; the count added 132,912 ballots on Sunday, Nov. 1.
Advance voting began Oct. 26 and continues through Nov. 6. More than 2,300 voting places will be open on election day, the commission says. Reuters reported that about 600 voting places would operate each day this week before that election-day total.
The Commission says the totals omit overseas ballots and come from informal daily reports by voting places, so they may change and may not match the official count.
