New Zealand early voting surges ahead of November 7 election

Nov 2 - Nearly 1 million ballots have been cast in the first week of early voting for the New Zealand general election, the country's electoral commission said on Monday.• A total of 913,762 votes were cast between October 26 and November 1, according to New Zealand's Electoral Commission• The count represents a 28% jump compared with the same period during the 2023 election• The busiest day was Saturday when more than 190,000 votes were issued, the commission said• "Voting has got off to a good start, and there are still six more days to vote," said Chief Electoral Officer Karl Le Quesne• Around 600 voting places will be open daily this week, with that number rising to more than 2,300 on election day• The strong early turnout comes despite the government introducing controversial new rules that ended enrolment 13 days before the election on November 7, with critics arguing the earlier cut-off could deter participation• Latest polls still show no clear winner or coalition grouping in the tightly contested election REUTERS