Up to 65 Countdown supermarkets across Tāmaki Makaurau will be hosting Vote Boxes from Friday 16 September, when voting opens for the local elections. Along with your bread, eggs and milk, you’ll be able to drop your voting paper into a Vote Box at your nearest Countdown.
For the first time Auckland Council is partnering with Countdown supermarkets to make it super convenient to vote. “We want voting to be effortless for Aucklanders and so partnering with one of the country’s largest supermarket chains means we can cover more ground for voters,” says Rose Leonard, Auckland Council’s Manager Governance Services. “Just as it is essential to grab your groceries, it is also essential for Aucklanders to easily have their say on who leads our region.”
“Making vote boxes available in our stores is a great way to support our communities to have their say in the local elections. We’re really proud to be playing our part in the democratic process and helping to make it even easier for Aucklanders to vote on who will represent their neighbourhoods and the wider region,” says Countdown’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Safety and Sustainability, Kiri Hannifin.
Auckland Council has especially designed and manufactured the robust local election Vote Boxes with security in mind. The locked boxes will receive voting envelopes while being installed securely to prevent tampering or removal. Locations have been chosen where both staff and CCTV are present. Vote Boxes will be emptied by electoral officials daily, and then at midday on Saturday 8 October, promptly sealed and removed.
While the purpose of this initiative is to make voting more accessible and therefore increase the number of votes returned, the security of Vote Boxes is the council’s priority.
If you’re enrolled to vote, look out for your purple voting pack on its way to your letterbox. Follow the guide inside and bring along your completed voting paper in its orange return envelope to drop off at the nearest Countdown store.
For a full list of Vote Box locations and everything else about voting, visit voteauckland.co.nz/vote
