Election went smoothly for voters

The handling of the election in September last year has been praised in a survey.

There were large improvements on the way the Electoral Office ran the 2002 general election, the survey found.

The survey showed 98 per cent of voters considered they spent a "reasonable" amount of time in their polling place, 95 per cent found the ballot paper easy to use and 84 per cent did not have to queue.

"Overall, we're pleased with the result," said Acting Chief Electoral Officer Robert Peden.

"The survey indicates that most people had a positive voting experience and found it easy to vote."

The Electoral Office added: "Significant improvements in voter satisfaction were recorded in areas such as polling place locations, layout and signage, polling place staff ability to answer questions and information on how to vote."

The independent survey was conducted by TNS New Zealand and questioned 1004 people. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 per cent.

- NZPA