KEY POINTS:
Party leaders have cast their votes in today's general election in what could be a record turnout.
Labour leader Helen Clark and National leader John Key this morning chose schools in their Auckland electorates to give their ticks with other leaders following suit at other booths around the country.
Doors at New Zealand's 2700 polling stations opened at 9am and close tonight at 7pm.
Chief Electoral Officer Robert Peden is aiming to have half of the results in by 10pm and a final result through by 11.30pm.
Queues began to form at some polling centres shortly after opening and this together with a record number of advance votes has electoral officials hopeful that the turnout could be a record.
By 4pm yesterday, 2,979,366 people had enrolled to vote, almost 95 per cent of those eligible, Electoral Enrolment Centre national manager Murray Wicks said.
In 2005 2,286,190 people voted.
Mr Peden said the number of advance votes - more than 200,000 - could be significant.
It is around 30 percent higher than the number of advance votes received in 2005, when 80 per cent of eligible electors voted.
"One of the questions would be whether people are choosing to advance vote rather than vote on election day, or whether it is just part of a large turnout," he said.
Counting of the first advance votes will start at 3pm and those results should be known by 8.30pm.
- NZPA
