September 11, 2023
Big demand expected for early voting


Arrangements for the October 14 general election have now been formally set with Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro signing the writ yesterday at Government House.
The writ runs until November 9, when the list of winning candidates is finalised after the vaunting of special votes.
Karl Le Quesne, the Electoral Commission’s chief executive, says work on staffing and preparing voting places is well under way.
He expects keen interest in advance voting, which starts on October 2.
“In 2020, we saw about 68% of people vote before polling day, and in some electorates that can be up to 80%. So it’s definitely popular with a voters,” he says.
Candidate nominations close at noon on Friday and the names of electorate and list candidates will be published on Saturday September 17.