KEY POINTS:
Queues are expected this morning at polling places around the country as New Zealanders head out to vote.
The Chief Electoral Office expects voting volumes to peak today in the two hours after polling booths open at 9am - but warns electors not to leave it until the last minute, as polling sites close sharp at 7 tonight.
By Thursday, when the latest figures were calculated, almost 95 per cent of eligible voters - or 2.97 million people - had enrolled.
Enrolments closed yesterday.
Associate Professor Raymond Miller of the University of Auckland political studies department expects the turnout to be similar to the last election in 2005, when almost 81 per cent of those enrolled made it count.
Among those heading to the ballot box will be Prime Minister Helen Clark, due at 11.15am at Kowhai Intermediate in her Mt Albert electorate.
National leader John Key is set to vote at 11am at Parnell District School.
The crowds are unlikely to need an umbrella or raincoat when they go to the polling booth.
The MetService forecasts clear skies and light winds over much of the country, saying it is likely to be cool, with a high of 17degC for Auckland.
Chief Electoral Officer Robert Peden said New Zealanders could vote in any polling place but it was easiest if they did so in their electorate using their EasyVote card.
While high-tech voting systems for casting votes have been adopted in some countries, New Zealanders will again use the old fashioned marker pen and paper.
A draft strategy document released earlier this year by the Chief Electoral Office reportedly suggested internet voting was unlikely to be widely available for the general election before 2023 at the earliest and listed security among a list of identified concerns.
* There is no election coverage in the Weekend Herald today that could likely influence voters as such material is prohibited under the Electoral Act.
Election essentials:
* Polling booths open at 9am and close at 7pm.
* No election news can be reported in today's website by law.
* For up-to-date results, news and analysis from 6pm keep checking the NZ Herald website
