Advance voting is open. I wanted to know what really happens between walking through the door and dropping a ballot in the box.
I can't vote yet. But I have been into a voting place with an adult, and I came away with more questions than I went in with.
Advance voting is open now in Aotearoa New Zealand, and election day is Saturday 7 November. So here is what actually happens inside.
## First, find a place and a time
Before election day, opening days and hours are different from one voting place to the next, so it is worth checking Vote NZ first. On election day itself, every voting place is open from 9am to 7pm.
You do not have to go to the closest one. Any voting place will do.
## The table at the front
An enrolled voter gives their name and address to a staff member, who finds them on the roll and hands over a ballot paper. If something does not match, there is a different kind of vote, called a special vote, and the staff explain it. Nobody gets turned away for asking a question.
## Two choices, one piece of paper
The ballot has two halves. The party vote largely decides how many seats each qualifying party gets in Parliament. The electorate vote chooses the local MP. You can pick a candidate and a party from different parties. I think that is one of the cleverest parts of MMP.
## The cardboard screens
Then the voter goes behind a cardboard screen, alone, and makes their choices privately. The ballot is folded and dropped into a sealed box. Nobody has to tell anyone who they chose. Not the staff, not their family, not their friends.
## Why it is so quiet
The thing I noticed most was the calm. On election day, campaigning near voting places has to stop. No posters, no people handing out flyers at the door. It feels almost like a library.
## My question for you
Why do you think the ballot is secret? How might someone vote differently if the people around them could see their choice?
And if you are going with an adult, take the Election Day Family Detective mission and see how many things you can spot. Just remember: no photos inside.
Information correct as at 29 October 2026. Always check Vote NZ for official voting information.