Election 2017: Polling booths to hit supermarkets

New World in Mt Roskill is one of the supermarkets where advance voting will be available. Photo / Google

Advance voting is set to open next week and for the first time ever Kiwis will be able to vote while they shop, at supermarkets.

Advance voting booths at seven Auckland supermarkets are set to add to the almost 200 more advance voting places nationwide this year, compared to the 2014 election.

With more than 3.18 million Kiwis enrolled and just two weeks until the General election, the Electoral Commission hoped the initiative would make advance voting as easy as possible.

"What we really wanted to focus on this year, is [to] make it very, very easy for people to find voting places and to vote," said Electoral Commission chief electoral officer Alicia Wright.

"What's important at this point is that the people who are enrolled get out and vote."

In 2014, 77.9 per cent of enrolled voters turned out to vote in the election. This was a slight improvement on the record low 74.2 per cent in 2011.

Advance voting starts on Monday.

The almost 500 advance polling places across the country will be open for longer hours than in 2014, and some on Sundays.

"Were adding 10,000 additional hours of advance voting time this year," said Wright.

Supermarkets where advance voting will be available are: New World in Mt Roskill and Victoria Park and Pak'nSave in Mangere, Ormiston, Silverdale, Westgate and on Lincoln Rd.

There was also set to be advance and election day voting places in malls right around the country.

Opening times vary and can be found here.

You must be enrolled to vote if you qualify. Failure to do so can result in prosecution.

However, Wright said the Commission believed it was sensible to put their effort - and resources - into encouraging people to enrol and vote as opposed to prosecution.

Kiwis living and travelling overseas have been able to vote since Wednesday.

About 53,000 people with an overseas address were enrolled to vote in this year's election, with the highest numbers in Australia (31,000) and the UK (9,700)

You can vote from overseas if you're enrolled and you're a New Zealand citizen who has been here within the past three years, or a permanent resident of New Zealand who has been here within the past year.

Those planning on heading overseas closer to election day, can vote before they leave at any advance voting place.

"Or you can contact your local returning officer if you need to vote before then," said Wright.

There will also be advance voting facilities at Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch International Airports in the week before election day.

"What is ideal about it is that quite a lot of times, people who are travelling overseas are going to be quite busy getting themselves sorted and this is that one last shot [to vote] before they go," said Wright.

People can enrol and vote all at once, at any advance voting place in the country.

Those living or travelling overseas can download and print voting papers from www.elections.org.nz, vote in person at overseas posts in many countries, or apply for postal voting papers.

Election timeline:
September 6: Overseas voting started
September 11: Advance voting starts in New Zealand
September 22: The last day to enrol to vote
September 23: Election day
9am: Polling places open
7pm: Polling places close and preliminary results will start to be progressively released.