Get prepared before Cyclone Vaianu arrives. Visit Auckland Emergency Management for the latest information.
When voting closes
Once voting closes:
- voting boxes will be sealed in all locations
- libraries and other venues that accept special votes will close. Anyone waiting in line for a special vote by that time will be able to cast their vote
- votes will be returned to the electoral office for counting.
How the votes are counted
During the voting period, the electoral officer marks off each voter's name from the electoral roll to ensure that no one votes more than once.
The votes are then processed electronically to record each one. To ensure accuracy, each vote is processed twice by different people.
Individual votes are held securely in the electoral system until voting closes. All votes are added up to calculate the results.
Justices of the Peace will observe the process of votes coming in daily over the voting period. This is a legal requirement because scrutineers - or vote checkers - are not able to do this until voting closes.
Why we do not report the results as they come in
The law only allows us to report how many people have voted each day, and only by local board area.
We cannot release any voting results until after the voting period has officially closed.
For this reason, we publish progress results as soon as possible after voting has ended.
What the result stages mean
Progress results
Progress results include votes received until the evening before election day. They do not include special votes or votes received on the morning of election day.
In the 2025 local elections, progress results included 82.5 per cent of all votes cast.
Preliminary results
Preliminary results include votes received on the morning of election day. Special votes are still not included. Preliminary results will be announced on the Monday after election day.
Final count and official results
Once all special votes are validated by the Electoral Commission, we will announce the final count and the official results.
Final results and official results include all votes, including special votes.
Blank and informal votes
Blank votes
A blank vote means the voter did not select any candidates for any position.
Informal votes
An informal vote is when:
- the electoral officer has reason to believe a voting document is not an official voting document
- the voter selected more candidates than there are positions available
- the voter did not clearly show who they wanted to vote for.
Elected unopposed
Candidates can be elected unopposed when:
- there are fewer candidates than the number of positions
- the number of candidates is the same as the number of positions available.
Elected members start date
Elected members take office the day after the results are officially declared.
They can start to perform their duties after they have been sworn in and completed their declaration at their inauguration.
Each of the 21 local boards will hold a separate inauguration ceremony.