“I don’t know who to vote for"; “I’m struggling to find a mayoral candidate I support”; “I had no idea we were meant to be voting - I’m not very good at that sort of stuff”; and “I haven’t read the information properly yet”.

These were some of the responses to a very informal poll among Wānaka App readers who had yet to cast their vote in the local body elections.

Tomorrow (Tuesday October 4) is the last day votes for the local government elections can be delivered by post, so from Wednesday (October 5) residents will need to deliver their votes by hand to the Wānaka office of the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC). 

QLDC electoral officer Jane Robertson said anyone who is not enrolled, or did not receive voting papers in the mail, can make a special vote in person at council’s Queenstown and Wānaka office.

“It only takes a few minutes, and our staff are on hand to guide people through the steps to cast a special vote,” she said.

So far the number of returned votes is nothing to be proud of, not quite tipping 16 percent of eligible votes.

By comparison, at the same time in 2019 and 2016, voter turnout was 20.62 percent and 28.93 percent respectively.

The total return in the 2019 election for the QLDC was 47.02 percent, and in 2016 it was 54.16 percent.

So why aren’t more people voting this year?

We all know council’s elected members make decisions on our drinking water, rubbish collection, libraries, sewerage treatment, and - the big one for most people - our rates.

A recent Wānaka social media post bemoaning the increase in district council rates attracted almost 100 comments. This stuff affects our daily lives and we care about it.

Jane said there are many theories around the trend of lower voter turnout.

“We’re not alone within New Zealand in seeing a decline, or indeed around the world. However, I want to stress the importance of voting in local elections. Councillors and community board members make decisions on behalf of the community, not just now, but into the future too,” she said.

“To those still making up their mind about who to vote for, it’s easy to learn more about the candidates looking to represent you for the next three years, and where they stand on the issues you care about.”

A good place to start is Election 2022 where you can find out who is standing, what their policies and priorities are, and why they are standing.

The voting papers come with a booklet outlining who the candidates are and what they stand for.

Your voting papers include the candidates for the Dunstan constituency of the Otago Regional Council (ORC).

The ORC is responsible for environment, safety and resilience, transport and regional leadership. Its roles include pest control, Civil Defence emergency management, and monitoring risks from natural hazards.

Read more: ORC explained and why you should care

Voting closes at noon on Saturday 8 October. Preliminary results will be available later that day with the final result due by Thursday October 13.

IMAGE: Supplied