#WillSheVote? Yes, she will! Papakura mum Hinekia Fitzgerald ticks the box in the Local Body election

It worked.

As you read this story a handful of papers, marked with black ink and tucked inside a FreePost envelope, are on their way to the returning officer.

They are the ballot papers of Hinekia Fitzgerald.

She has had her say in who will lead her community. She has voted in the Local Body election.

The New Zealand Herald first met the 33-year-old Papakura mum of three last week.

She told us she had never voted in a Local Body election so we set her and ourselves a challenge.

Could we, through education and exposure, get one non-voter to care enough to cast a vote?

And if she did, would others? Especially people like her - non-European renters aged under 40 - whom local government officials suggested were among those least likely to make their vote count.

'I can't go through this process and not vote'

We started by giving Fitzgerald a crash civics course with Massey University's elections experts Andy Asquith and Andrew Cardow to help her understand why she should vote, what her vote means and how to make sense of the messages coming from the candidates.

Then we introduced her to some of the candidates.

Fitzgerald works full-time, as well as raising her family, and didn't have time to meet them face-to-face, so they made a pitch to a Herald camera and we showed the footage to Fitzgerald later.

She said afterwards she was still thinking about what to do.

Yesterday, she told the Herald she had made her decision.

"It's not that anyone jumped out at me. I can't go through this process and not vote. So I've decided I'm going to vote," Fitzgerald said.

She had heard from candidates and others that every vote counted, and that even one vote - her vote - could make a difference.

She wasn't sure that was true.

Instead she thought it might just be a matter of changing hearts and minds one at a time - starting with her, and continuing with the many people, in Auckland and beyond, who had championed and followed her journey.

Many had made contact via Facebook, including someone in Gisborne who was using #WillSheVote? to encourage turnout in the city.

"If there's someone that we really like, and we can portray why we like them in a simple way to our friends and family, and we can get behind the same person, I guess things would change and we could make a difference."

JOIN THE JOURNEY

You can follow Fitzgerald's journey at nzherald.co.nz

Let us know what you think via social media and the hashtag #WillSheVote?

Want to know more about the people who want your vote, and why your vote matters? Auckland Council has a website to help

Live in Auckland, Wellington or Palmerston North? Massey University's research unit Design+Democracy Project developed an online tool helping voters match their values with mayoral candidates via this tool

Fitzgerald's enrolled to vote. Are you? Find out here

Enrolment can be done via the elections.org.nz website, by calling 0800 36 76 56 or by texting your name and address to 3676.

Last-minute enrollers will cast a special vote, which can be done at service centres around the country before voting closes at noon on Saturday, October 8.

Other voters can also hand-deliver their ballots to service centres by that time.

The Show Your Love website has a list of service centre locations in Auckland under the How to Vote tab.