In the 1998 elections 22.22 per cent of the voting papers had been returned in the corresponding period.

The Christchurch Electoral Officer, Max Robertson, said today that two factors contributed to the slower return. They were that the voting period had been extended from two to three weeks and the school holidays with many families away until the end of this week.

Voting will close at noon on Saturday 13 October and it is expected that counting will be finished about 5pm that day.

Once the voting papers are received electors’ bar codes, shown through the window of the return envelopes, are scanned so that the names of the electors are marked off the roll to prevent duplicate voting.

After that the envelopes are opened and the votes are recorded by scanning the bar codes that are printed beside the names of those candidates who have received votes.

No votes are totalled at this stage.

The electronic recording of votes will be completed as papers are returned throughout the three-week voting period.

Special voting facilities are available on the ground floor of the Civic Offices, Tuam Street, between 8.30am and 5pm Monday to Friday and 9am-noon on 13 October.

Electors who have lost, spoilt, or destroyed their ordinary voting papers that they received by post may claim special votes. People who have applied to be enrolled but who have not received their voting papers in the post may also claim special votes.