Aiming for 100pc voter enrolment

Ninety-nine per cent of Wairarapa residents aged 18 and over are enrolled to vote but Wairarapa Registrar of Electors Philip Parkes is hopeful the Electoral Commission's recent enrolment drive will close the gap.

On Monday, the Commission sent out enrolment update packs to 3.1 million enrolled voters throughout the country, reminding them to make any changes to their details before this year's local body elections.

Around 47,000 update packs were sent throughout the Wairarapa Electorate, which stretches through to Central Hawkes Bay.

Mr Parkes says although Wairarapa has traditionally been a well-enrolled electorate, he expects the latest campaign will help remind any stragglers.

"At the end of our campaigns, we usually get pretty close to 100 per cent," he says.

"The national average of people enrolled to vote is about 93 per cent, and Wairarapa has always been higher than that.

Across Wairarapa, enrollee numbers of eligible voters are high with Masterton district sitting on 98 per cent, and both Carterton and South Wairarapa districts being fully enrolled.

Mr Parkes encourages those who do not receive an update pack to enrol to vote as soon as possible. The purpose of the update packs is to remind voters to update their details if they have changed such as a change in address, or a change to title, marital status or occupation.

Mr Parkes says it is particularly important enrollees update their addresses if they have moved, as local body elections are held by a postal vote.

"To be able to have a valid vote, people need to provide us with the correct address," he says. "We have to make sure our rolls are as up to date as possible. We're updating daily at this stage."

People must return their forms by August 16 and to send back any packs that arrive at the incorrect address.

Local body elections will held in October.

To enrol to vote, visit elections.org.nz; freetext your name and address to 3676; or call 0800 36 76 56.