Turnout looking good
From Auckland Council
Steady heart beat as Aucklanders vote
Electors from across the region can see how the vote tally is rising – north, south, west, east and central – to swell the show your love campaign hearts on digital bill boards.
Between now and midday on Saturday 8 October, over one million eligible voters can cast their ballots to determine the leadership of Auckland for the next three years.
Auckland Council is keeping a week-day tab on votes as they are counted with the latest tally showing a bump to 13.2 % of the vote is in, up 2.4% from the same time in 2013.
Source: Auckland Council
The hearts, which measure the percentage of votes coming in, sees the highest turnout since voting opened on 16 September is in central with 21.3% of votes returned from Waiheke Island and 19.2% from Great Barrier Island. Next is in the North with 18.9% of Rodney-Warkworth votes in and just behind is Rodney-Wellsford with 18.5% of possible votes counted.
“We want people to show they love where they live by voting,” says Auckland Council’s Elections Planning Manager Glyn Walters. “Publishing the vote count as it comes in shows what parts of Auckland are voting and we hope that will be a reminder to get the ballot in the mail now.”
There’s a handy map with the location of NZ post boxes and ballot boxes in local libraries and council service centres on http://showyourlove.co.nz/ and there are also seven giant heart ballot boxes at Orewa, Takapuna, New Lynn, Britomart, Manukau, Pakuranga and Pukekohe.
If you are not on the electoral roll you can still vote if you enrol by 4pm Friday 7 October and register for a special vote. Call the Electoral Office on 0800 922 822 for more information.
Vote counting will continue on a daily basis and be available on the website from 2pm each day, up to Friday 7 October.
A progress result will be available from 2pm on Saturday 8 October and the final outcome confirmed on Thursday 13 October.
Source: Auckland Council
For progress updates on voting numbers click here.
For candidate information go to www.showyourlove.co.nz
For FAQs click here.
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Have you cast your vote yet?
Talking Southern Auckland 
I think the focus on just voting is too narrow. We really need more civic engagement. A lot of people don’t vote because they don’t know who their candidates or what local government does or how their council performed or how their local funds are spent. We need better local journalism , better info on council’s website. Quarterly performance reports brought to the front page, not buried at the bottom of agendas, more councillors in the chair, eg meeting people at their local library etc, filming of local board meetings and workshops. Succinct summaries. Then people can make informed votes not just on the candidates colours or their spin.
There is a need to run an appeal to encourage people to understand the importance of Local Board Elections and to vote. This is more relevant for the new immigrants as compared to the others. Mainstream media usually ignores ethnic minority community candidates. They are never interviewed, or their opinion is given any publicity. No wonder Asians immigrants and new arrivals feel alienated and stay away from the elections!!