There will be plenty of polling places open on Election Day, the Electoral Commission says. Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro
The Electoral Commission is pushing back against claims that there will be difficulty accessing voting places on election day in some areas.
Hundreds of polling booths open for early voting will be closed on polling day 14 October, it was reported.
More than 2600 polling booths are being set up across the country, 800 of which will open early, but almost 300 will not be open on polling day - many of them in remote locations.
In a statement Chief Electoral Officer Karl Le Quesne said fears were misplaced.
"We will have more than 2300 voting places open on election day, including in rural areas, so everyone can vote," he said.
"Reports of hundreds of voting places being closed in remote areas on election day are not correct.
"In every electorate, there are voting places that are open during advance voting but not open on election day."
He said 265 voting places were only open for advance voting this election, compared with 230 in 2020 and 305 in 2017. Of the 265 not open on polling day, 61 are in rural electorates and 204 are in regional and urban electorates.
"There are changes to voting place locations in urban and rural regions every election determined by factors including the availability of locations, staffing levels, and local demand."
In nine rural electorates, the number of voting places open on election day this year is 603, compared with 664 in 2020 and 629 in 2017.
"We encourage voters to check opening hours and locations before they go to vote," Le Quesne said.
"You can put your address into a map at vote.nz to find your closest voting places and when they're open. A list of voting places is in your EasyVote pack. Or you can call 0800 36 76 56 for information."
*This story has been updated with details on number of polling booths in rural areas which are not open on election day.
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