Voting in the Tauranga City Council election is down almost four per cent from where it was at the same stage in the 2007 election.
Just 24.67 per cent of voters have sent their voting papers in, with 2297 voting papers arriving in the mail to Tauranga City Council on Monday.

Tauranga City Council deputy electoral officer Yvonne Tatton expected a big jump in numbers over the weekend. On Friday, the voting returns were sitting at 21.8 per cent with 17527 total.

Yvonne says voters must post their voting papers by Wednesday for them to be counted.
'If you want to make sure your vote gets in, then it needs to be posted by Wednesday,” says Yvonne.

Alternatively people can drop their papers in to council headquarters on Willow Street.
If people have misplaced their voting papers then they can come in to the council to cast a special vote, says Yvonne.
Ballots must be in the hands of the returning officer at noon on Saturday to be counted.

Read the Western Bay of Plenty District Council Monday afternoon return level here.