Drive-through voting wins support
They didn’t get any fries with their vote but the 200 people who used the New Plymouth District Council drive-through ballot box on Saturday were eligible for a free icecream.
The drive-through initiative was part of National Vote Day to try and increase participation rates in local body elections.
In 2016 just 47 per cent of New Plymouth District voters cast their ballot for their councils and health board. So far this year just
15 per cent of the district’s 57,471 voters have completed and returned their voting forms. Voting closes at noon on October
12.
Brendon Taylor and his daughter Emma were in between Saturday morning jobs when they stopped by the drive-through to cast Brendon’s vote.
He said he had voted in every local election and thought the new initiative was a convenient way to get people to vote.
‘‘It’s easier than walking inside doing it,’’ he said.
The drive-through at the council’s Civic Centre was one of one of 17 spots around the district where people could drop their voting papers on Saturday.
NPDC External Relations Manager Jacqueline Baker said it NPDC External Relations manager Jacqueline Baker was the first time the council had done a drive-through voting station and it had gone better than they had expected, with more than 200 votes collected.
But she said the current voter turnout, which sat at 15 per cent so far, was not good enough with only a week left to vote.
‘‘It’s woeful. We really urge everyone to vote,’’ she said.
Voter turnout is slightly higher in Taranaki’s other two districts.
In Stratford 1425 voters had cast their ballot for a 21.8 per cent turnout, while in South Taranaki 3800 votes had been collected from a pool of 17,749 eligible voters – a 21.4 per cent turnout.
In September, NPDC spent $30,000 on a controversial marketing campaign with the slogan ‘Give a s..t, vote today’, using a poo emoji symbol to attract younger voters.
Votes can be posted up until tomorrow or dropped into ballot boxes at the Civic Centre on Liardet St, and the Bell Block, Inglewood and Waitara library and service centres.
Baker said they were considering holding another drivethrough station on October 12 at the Civic Centre.
‘‘We really urge everyone to vote.’’