Organisers of Fonterra's director elections are bracing for a late voting rush.
The deadline is midday on Wednesday, and only 25 per cent of shareholders have handed in their voting slips.
Spice has been added to the elections by Feilding farmer Malcolm Bailey, who is standing with incumbents Mark Townshend, Murray Flett
and chairman Henry van der Heyden.
Bailey farms 205ha at Feilding, has commercial and property investments and has been a director of Embryo technologies since 1993.
The sitting directors retire by rotation in line with Fonterra's constitution, but have all put forward their names again for the three seats.
Election organisers placed the candidates' names in random order on the voting slip, rather than listing them in alphabetical order.
Returning officer Warwick Lampp said names were drawn out of a hat and listed in that order.
Some election analysts have claimed that many voters just tick the names at the top of a list.
Lampp said the 25 per cent return rate was usual at this stage.
"Everybody who I talk to says it is on track," he said.
"There is always a rush in the last few days, and farmers are no different."
He said the response to the election would probably be 50 per cent, comparable to last year.
For the first time, Fonterra shareholders can vote through the internet.
About 8 per cent of all votes cast so far have been by computer. Another 8 per cent have come by fax and the rest by post.
- NZPA
