In brief
Advance voting in New Zealand’s 2026 general election saw 913,762 ballots cast in the first week, up from 712,192 in 2023 and representing 24% of enrolled voters. The National Party, led by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, and Labour, led by former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, both seek to bring the polls into the next election. The advance period is set to conclude on Nov. 1 ahead of the Nov. 7 election day.
More than 913,000 New Zealand voters cast advance ballots between October 26 and November 1 in the run‑up to the 2026 general election, surpassing the 2023 level yet remaining below the 2020 peak, according to the Electoral Commission. The figure—913,762 votes—represents about 24 percent of enrolled voters, up from 19 percent at the same point in the previous election.
The busiest day so far was October 31, when more than 190,000 ballots were issued, and daily advance-voting numbers have exceeded those recorded on corresponding days in 2023 since voting began. Early‑voting places remained steady, with about 600 sites open each day of the week ahead of election day when more than 2,300 voting places will operate nationwide.
Both of the country’s main parties are mobilising around key economic concerns. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of the center‑right National Party is seeking a second term, while former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins of the Labour Party campaigns to return to power amid public worries over cost of living, growth and public services.
Electoral Commission figures indicate that the early-vote peak of 913,762 ballots falls short of the 1.16 million votes recorded at the same stage in the 2020 general election, the most recent high.
The advance voting period will close on November 1; the election itself is scheduled for November 7, with official results expected on November 27.
