Highest voter turnout for nine years

Photo: File image

Voter turnout for the local body elections is tracking much higher than it has for the past two elections in the Selwyn district.

Of the district's 54,724 eligible voters, 22.73% (12,438) had cast their ballot by Thursday.

This compares to 17.23% at the same time in 2022 and 16.16% in 2019.

The polls close at noon on Saturday, October 11, with the results likely to be known later that day.

This election is highly contested, with 32 candidates vying for 11 seats around the Selwyn District Council table.

Sam Broughton.

And for the first time since 2016, there appears to be much more interest in the mayoralty race, with incumbent Mayor Sam Broughton vying for his fourth consecutive term.

Canterbury University political scientist Professor Bronwyn Hayward said the amount of change could be motivating more people to vote.

“We are seeing a big churn in terms of overall candidates, and you’ve got a contested mayoral race,” she said.

It will also be the first time Broughton has been challenged by a sitting councillor, with Malvern Ward’s Lydia Gliddon seeking the job.

Rolleston businessman Brad Mannering is also standing for mayor.

The last close mayoral race was in 2016, when Broughton beat rivals Pat McEvedy and Sarah Walters by about 700 votes, with 44.55% of votes returned.

Since then, he has won comfortably, by 7556 votes in 2019 and 12,049 votes in 2022.

Hayward said it was rare for a sitting mayor to be unseated.

“It would be a very dramatic result if (Broughton) was ousted, and still, I would say, unlikely.”

Lydia Gliddon.

Gliddon said she was very aware of the challenge to unseat Broughton, which prompted her to start campaigning early.

Voter turnout in local body elections across New Zealand has traditionally been low, with only 19 of 65 councils recording more than 50% of votes returned in 2022. Selwyn ranked 49th, with 42.44% of votes returned.

While the district’s population has grown, Hayward said that does not always translate into more voters.

“People can feel they haven’t been there long enough; they’re still putting down roots and don’t feel confident about voting,” she said.

Across the wards, Tawera Malvern is leading with 32.93% of votes returned, followed by Te Waihora Ellesmere Ward at 26.18%, Kā Puna Springs Ward at 23.43%, and Kā Mānia Rolleston Ward at 17.33%.