Vote
Vote
I've got my voting papers, what do I do now?
Here's when you decide who to give your votes to.
Everyone gets a vote on who will be the Mayor and depending on where you live, you'll vote for the six Councillors to represent that area.
If you live on the east side of the river, you'll vote for Councillors for the East Ward, and if you live on the west side, you'll vote for Councillors for the West Ward.
Hamilton City Council uses the First Past the Post voting system. This means you tick the names of the candidates you want to vote for - one vote for the Mayor and six votes for Councillors. The candidates with the most votes are elected to Council.
Check out our Candidates page once nominations open for more information about who is standing for Mayor and who wants to be a Councillor in your ward. Our Events page also has details of where you can go to meet or hear from the candidates.
To return your voting papers in time to be counted, you’ll need to get them in the post by Saturday 5 October. After that date, you can drop them off at Hamilton City Council in Garden Place until 12pm on Saturday 12 October.
We'll also be running drive-through voting stations for a quick and easy way to deliver your papers. Follow Hamilton City Council on Facebook to find out when these are happening.
Here's how many of us have voted so far:
40,497
Click here to see the percentages of total electors and comparisons with previous election years.
Where to drop off your voting packs
Permanent ballot boxes
Temporary ballot boxes
Special votes
Special votes are available if:
- your name does not appear on the final electoral roll (e.g. you didn't enrol before 16 August), but you qualify as an elector
- you did not receive a voting pack that has been posted to you
- you have a spoilt or damaged voting pack that was posted to you.
Special votes can be made until 12noon on Saturday 12 October 2019, at:
- the Elections Office, Municipal Building, Garden Place, Hamilton
- any Hamilton City Libraries community branch (Glenview, St Andrews, Dinsdale, Hillcrest, Chartwell)
- by telephoning the electoral office on 0800 922 822.
Special votes require the completion of a statutory declaration. This is a legal requirement and a protection for electors against possible duplicate voting.
We want as many of you to vote as possible, so if you need a hand to complete your voting papers, we’ve got people who can do that. Drop in to the Hamilton City Council building in Garden Place anytime during the voting period, or email elections@hcc.govt.nz.
Before you can vote, you need to enrol!
It's not too late to enrol and vote, you will juse need to cast a special vote (see above).
Do you tick these boxes?
- I’ll be 18 years or older on Election Day (12 October).
- I’m a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident.
- I’ve lived in New Zealand for at least one year continuously at some point.
- I live or own property in Hamilton City.
Then you’re eligible to enrol and vote!
Own property but live outside of Hamilton? Have your say by registering as a ratepayer elector.
Visit Elections NZ to enrol and for more information about if you’re eligible.
Check out our Fact Sheet and FAQs for everything you need to know about voting and the elections.
Key Contacts
Electoral Officer
Dale Ofsoske, Election Services
PO Box 5135, Wesley Street
Auckland 1141
09 973 5212
dale.ofsoske@electionservices.co.nz
electionservices.co.nz
Deputy Electoral Officer
Becca Brooke (Elections Manager)
elections@hcc.govt.nz
07 838 6439