Those who will represent the region for the next three years could be chosen by fewer than half of Hawke's Bay's constituents.
With only hours until voting in the local body elections closes at noon, only 43.62 per cent of eligible voters from Wairoa to Tararua have cast theirs.
As of last night, 53,699 of 123,097 possible voters had participated in the 2016 local body elections.
Voters in rural areas were leading the charge, with more than half the eligible voters turning out in Wairoa, Central Hawke's Bay (CHB), and Tararua.
CHB had the highest participation rate. With 5339 people of the 9518 eligible ticking the boxes, the district had more than a 56 per cent turnout.