New Zealand votes by hand, with final results due in 20 days

New Zealand voters will cast nearly 4 million ballots by hand on Saturday, November 7, with the Electoral Commission targeting final results by Friday, November 27. The agency has confirmed that no machines will count the votes, relying instead on fully trained staff to process ordinary, advance, and special ballots.

The preliminary count begins before polls close on Saturday. Early ordinary votes submitted during advance voting are moved to electorate headquarters and counted first. These results are withheld until 7 p.m. on election day. Ballots cast at polling stations on Saturday are counted immediately after polls close at 7 p.m. and released as preliminary data.

The Electoral Commission aims to have 50 percent of preliminary results available by 10 p.m. and 95 percent by 11:30 p.m. on election day. This rapid initial tally covers the bulk of voting activity, but the official process extends well beyond election night to handle special votes.

Special votes require stricter verification and account for a large portion of the delay. These ballots are submitted by voters not on the electoral roll, those living overseas, or individuals unable to access a standard polling place. The Commission expects to process up to 700,000 special votes this year.

Each special vote declaration is checked to confirm voter eligibility and enrollment. Overseas votes often take longer to arrive and process. In 2023, the counting of special votes took three weeks to confirm the election outcome. The Commission has estimated the required checks will take about 20 days this year.

During the official count, staff scrutinize the voter roll to identify any instances of double voting. If a person is found to have voted more than once, that vote is excluded from the final official count. The totals for each voting place are recorded on a certificate signed by the returning officer and a Justice of the Peace.

The official count is entered into New Zealand's Election Management System, a domestic platform that undergoes regular independent security testing. The Chief Electoral Officer declares the final result once all checks are complete. Candidates and political parties can appoint scrutineers to witness the counting process, though candidates themselves are barred from serving as scrutineers.

After the count, voting papers are sealed in tamper-proof envelopes and stored for six months to allow for legal challenges. They are then shredded and destroyed in the presence of official representatives. Electorate candidates can apply to a District Court judge for a recount within three working days of the result declaration, requiring a deposit of $1022.22.

A recount is automatic if there is a tie in an electorate. In 2023, three judicial recounts were held for close races in Nelson, Mt Albert, and the Māori electorate Tamaki Makarau, none of which changed the seat winner. For the party vote, a recount of every electorate requires a deposit of $92,000.

Chief Electoral Officer Karl Le Quesne acknowledged that errors occurred in the 2023 count, stating they were made by people under pressure. An auditor-general investigation found that late enrolments and an increase in special votes contributed to the mistakes. Enrolment closes on October 25 this year, rather than continuing through election day as it did in 2023.