Late voting surge in Dunedin

Almost 10,000 people voted in Dunedin today - the highest single day tally of returns for this election.

A Dunedin City Council spokesman said preliminary results of the local body election were expected "a bit later this afternoon".

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Dunedin's voter turnout this election had previously been historically low with only 32.5% of people casting their ballots by the end of yesterday, compared to 40% in 2022.

Last-minute drive-by voting in Dunedin's Octagon was a popular option for many in the city this morning.

The council ran "drive and drop" voting service in the Octagon from 9am until noon.

Approximately 9400 voting papers were collected today.