Polling easily done wherever a voter may be

The Herald asked if you had any questions about voting. Today, we bring you the answers to your questions:

My wife and I will be out of the country on Saturday. Where and how can we cast a special vote?

You can vote in advance, and have been able to since August 31. Ring your local electorate returning officer to find early voting facilities in your area, or phone 0800 36 76 56. Information on advance voting is also contained in your EasyVote information pack. You can either go to one of these polling places, ballot papers can be sent to you in the mail, or an agent can collect your voting papers from you and deliver them to the electorate office. Visit the elections.org.nz website (see link below) to read how to enrol and download voting papers online.

What time do the voting booths open on Saturday? How do you vote if you are out of your own electorate?

Polling places will be open from 9am until 7pm on Saturday. If you are not going to be in your own electorate you can vote in advance. Advance voting is available until Friday. Times and locations are available by going to www.elections.org.nz (see link below) or by phoning 0800 36 76 56, or look in your EasyVote information pack. You could also make a special declaration vote if you're out of your electorate, but they are pretty time-consuming.

My children are all of voting age, all with residency and enrolled at my home address. How should they go about voting?

Because they are overseas, they can download ballot papers from the election website and fax them back, to +64 4 494-2300. Only overseas voters are permitted to download voting papers and fax them back. They must be received by 7pm on Saturday.

I will be overseas on Saturday. Can I vote on the internet?

No. If you are overseas on election day, and you are enrolled on the published roll, you can download your voting papers from www.election.org.nz (see link below) but they must be faxed or posted back. You cannot return your voting papers electronically or by email.
For questions about voting from overseas, see link to email address below. If you are overseas, phone +64 4 439-0130.

I will be in New Zealand on Saturday but I can't be bothered going to a polling place. Can I vote by email?

No. You cannot return your voting papers by email or electronically, and if you are in the country, you may not fax your papers in. If you do, the vote will not count and you may be prosecuted.

I am currently enrolled on the Maori roll under my maiden name. How do I transfer from the Maori roll to the general roll?

A Maori electoral option takes place every five years, after the population census. This is the only time you can change which roll you are on. The next one is due next year.