Free Celect app to help with voting choice

People who want to make an informed decision about who to vote for in October’s local body elections are being encouraged to download Christchurch City Council’s free mobile app, Celect.

The app has profiles of the candidates standing in Christchurch and Banks Peninsula and other useful information to help you participate in October’s local elections.

Celect starts by helping you find out what ward that you’re in and then lets you browse candidate profiles and shortlist the ones you’re interested in voting for.

“People always want to know more about the candidates standing for their ward – who they are and what they stand for,” says Christchurch City Council Electoral Officer Jo Daly.

“Our Celect app is easy to use and to download, and it lets anyone view the various candidate profiles, from community board right up to Mayor, to help them make an informed decision.

“Celect also helps keep you up-to-date with what’s happening, as you’ll be able to receive notifications on election and voting dates and how you can vote.”

When Celect was first introduced in 2016, it was in a very simple format with information limited to Christchurch City Council. It has evolved over time so users can also access information about candidates standing for election to Environment Canterbury.

Celect is available to download now for free from the App Store or Google Play. Find out more.

Full candidate profiles and images are also available at ccc.govt.nz/elections

Voting papers for the local body elections should start arriving in eligible voters’ letterboxes from 16 September.

Voting closes at noon on Saturday 8 October. Progress results will be announced later that afternoon.