New Zealanders 18 years and over have the right to vote in parliamentary elections. Voting Only people whose names are validly enrolled before an election are qualified to vote. Most electors cast their votes at polling booths in their electorates on polling day, but they may vote as special voters at booths outside their electorate. Special votes may also be cast before polling day at issuing offices or at home because of sickness, travel, or similar reasons. Provision is also made for voting overseas.
Voting is by secret ballot.
A preliminary count of ordinary votes is available for each electorate on election night, and final results are normally available a fortnight later, once special and overseas votes have been received and counted. The boundaries of electorates are revised every five years based on the Census of Population and Dwellings. After provisional boundaries are drawn up and published, objections and counter-objections are considered by the Representation Commission, which makes a final decision. M ori electorates and the M ori option People of M ori descent are periodically given the option of registering on the M ori roll or the general roll. The number of M ori electorates is dependent on the proportion of M ori on the M ori roll.