Voting in Citizens Initiated Referendum opens tomorrow (Friday 31 July)

Voting in the country’s first ever Citizens Initiated Referendum held through the mail starts tomorrow (Friday 31 July 2009).

“Almost three million voting papers on the question “Should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand?” will be delivered to people’s mailboxes from Friday 31 July through until Friday 7 August,” says Robert Peden, Chief Electoral Officer.

The referendum voting period runs from Friday 31 July until Friday 21 August.

“We recommend that people post their voting papers back no later than Thursday 20 August to be sure they are returned on time,” says Mr Peden.

There are four simple steps to taking part in the referendum here http://www.elections.org.nz/voting/2009-referendum/how-to-vote.html

“Voters should tick yes or no on the referendum voting paper in response to the referendum question, and return the voting paper in the envelope provided,” says Mr Peden.

“If you enrolled in time and you haven’t got your voting paper by Friday 7 August you can request a replacement voting paper at www.elections.org.nz or by calling 0800 36 76 56.”

To count, voting papers from New Zealand must be postmarked no later than Friday 21 August and voting papers from overseas must be postmarked no later than Thursday 20 August (this allows for international time differences to ensure compliance with the close of the voting period). All voting papers must be with the Returning Officer in New Zealand no later than noon on Tuesday 25 August.

The Chief Electoral Officer aims to release the preliminary result of the referendum by 8.30pm on Friday 21 August. The target to release the official result is 5.00pm Tuesday 25 August.

NB: The Chief Electoral Office will report the number of voting papers received to date on Friday 7 August, Friday 14 August and with the preliminary result on Friday 21 August. This information will be available from www.elections.org.nz.