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City councils

Wellington City Council Enhances Voter Accessibility for Local Elections

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

To facilitate more informed decision-making and voter participation in the local elections, the Wellington City Council has introduced several initiatives aimed at increasing accessibility for all citizens. The council has published short videos featuring 47 of the 50 Mayor and Councillor candidates, where they share their skills, strengths, decision-making strategies for the community, and key challenges and opportunities for the city. These videos are available online at wellington.govt.nz/candidates, alongside candidate statements. The council has also developed candidate booklets in accessible formats for voters with disabilities and will distribute them with voting papers between 9 and 22 September. Furthermore, voters can find information about enrolling and voting in alternative formats, including braille, audio, large print, and different languages, on the Electoral Commission website vote.nz. Community-run "Meet the Candidate" events are also being held around Poneke, and voters can compare candidates running in their area on policy.nz in September.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Wellington City Council has published short videos featuring 47 of the 50 Mayor and Councillor candidates discussing their skills, strengths, decision-making, and city challenges.
  • Candidate statements are available online at wellington.govt.nz/candidates, together with their video responses.
  • Candidate booklets in accessible formats will be distributed with voting papers between 9 and 22 September.
  • Voters with disabilities can access information on enrolling and voting in alternative formats at vote.nz, including braille, audio, large print, and different languages.
  • Community-run "Meet the Candidate" events are being organized around Poneke for voters to engage with candidates directly.
  • A comparison tool, policy.nz, will be available in September for voters to assess candidates running in their area.
  • The local elections will be conducted by postal vote, with voting packs to be mailed between 9-22 September.
  • Voting closers at 12 noon on Saturday 11 October, with the final day to enrol to receive voting papers by mail being 1 August.

Statistics:

  • 47 out of 50 Mayor and Councillor candidates have participated in short video answers.
  • Videos and candidate statements are available online at wellington.govt.nz/candidates.
  • Candidate booklets in accessible formats will be distributed with voting papers.
  • Voting packs will be mailed between 9-22 September.
  • Voting closes at 12 noon on Saturday 11 October.
  • Enrolled voters can expect to receive their voting papers in the mail between 9 and 22 September.
  • The last day to enrol to receive voting papers by mail was 1 August.
  • Preliminary and final election results will be available at wellington.govt.nz/elections once the votes are processed.

Sources:

  • Wellington City Council press release
  • wellington.govt.nz/candidates
  • vote.nz
  • policy.nz
  • wellington.govt.nz/elections

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