Returns remain low in two by-elections being run by the Waitaki District Council, in which voting closes at noon today and results are expected not long after.
Anyone voting today needs to return their papers directly to the council in Oamaru by noon.
Any received after that, including posted, would not be counted, electoral officer David Blair said yesterday.
Special votes can also be issued until noon for people who did not receive a paper, were not on the electoral roll but entitled to vote, or had lost or destroyed papers.
The by-elections are for two members on the Ahuriri Community Board and one member on the Oamaru Licensing Trust ward 1, vacancies which resulted because not enough nominations were received for October's local body elections.
In the trust by-election, up until yesterday 3022 voting papers had been returned, 35.4% of the 8536 sent out.
The biggest return in one day was early in the by-election, with 1378 papers coming in on January 27.
In the community board by-election, 366 have been returned, 40.53% of the 903 sent out. The biggest return in one day was also on January 27 when 128 were received.
Brent Cowles, Ross McLeod, Vicky Munro and Kathryn White are contesting the two seats on the Ahuriri board, while Peter Bond and John Howie contest the vacancy on the trust board..
Voting papers were sent out between January 20 and 25, with returns progressively counted to ensure a prompt provisional result.
