Voters have ballot bin options

The last day to mail in your vote is tomorrow, but if you’re feeling nervous about the post then there are nine ballot bins available to hand-deliver your papers.

Nelson City Council voting bins are orange wheelie bins, similar to typical rubbish or recycling bins, and the council is ‘‘strongly urging’’ people use these bins rather than mailing their vote in the final week.

If you have not received voting papers in the mail, or they have been damaged, you are still able to vote by casting a special vote.

This can be arranged by talking to council customer service staff in the council lobby. This will also be available on Saturday morning from 8.30am until voting closes at noon. Your vote must be in a ballot by noon.

Voting numbers were earlier in the week lower so far compared to previous elections this close to the election date. Voting papers look a little different this time around thanks to the council’s adoption of both the ward system and the single transferable vote system.

For your vote to count, you must rank at least one candidate with the number 1 – not a tick or cross. You can then list secondary options in order of preference, numbering each one 2, 3, and so on until you have numbered as many candidates as you care to vote for.

You can number all candidates, or only a selection. The new ward system means people can only vote for candidates in certain wards.

Every voter can vote for the mayor, and for councillors standing ‘‘at large’’.

People enrolled on the Māori electorate can vote for those candidates standing in the Whakatū Māori ward.

If you are unsure of which ward your address is in, you can check with the Nelson City Council’s interactive map on its website.

Though preliminary results were traditionally announced on the Saturday a few hours after voting closed, this time the council plans to announce results on its website on Sunday afternoon.