Special Vote

There are occasions when some voters may need to complete a special vote, rather than use the voting documents that are sent through to most voters by post.

When to apply for a special vote?

You may apply for a special vote if you:

• Were not on the parliamentary roll before 1 August 2025, or
• Are away during the voting period, or
• Are on the unpublished roll, or
• If you haven’t received your voting papers by 22 September 2025, or
• If you spoil your voting paper and cannot make your voting intention clear.

If you enrolled as a parliamentary elector before 1 August 2025, your Local Government Election voting documents will be sent through the post to you.

Enrol by 10 October to vote in the local elections

If you haven’t enrolled as a parliamentary elector yet, it’s still not too late, you can enrol any time up until Friday 10 October 2025 at the address you have lived at for at least one month. Once you have enrolled, you can apply for a Special Vote to vote in the Local Elections.

You can enrol or amend your address details online at vote.nz or by calling 0800 36 76 56.

Request a special vote

You can request a special vote or find out more information about special voting by contacting the Nelson City Council office on:

• Telephone: 03 546 0200
• Email: elections@ncc.govt.nz
• In person: At the Council Customer Service Centre which is located at the corner of Trafalgar and Halifax Streets.

Once completed, you can post your special vote in the envelope provided (last date for postal voting is Tuesday 7 October) or drop it into a ballot box at the authorised locations.