Time is running out for people to enrol to vote for the upcoming Waihi Beach Community Board and Maketu-Te Puke Ward by-elections with electoral rolls closing next Monday, December 16.

Locals in both areas now only have four days to enrol – or check that their enrolment details are correct – to vote in the two by-elections set for February 11, 2014.

Lesley Christophers, registrar of electors for Coromandel and Bay of Plenty electorates, says people have until Monday to enrol for the Waihi Beach Community Board and Maketu-Te Puke Ward February by-elections.

'To get your voting papers in the mail you need to be enrolled or have your details updated no later than 16th December 2013,” says Lesley Christophers, registrar of electors for the Coromandel and Bay of Plenty electorates.

'Only those people who are correctly enrolled by the time the electoral roll has closed will get voting papers in the mail to vote in either of these two by-elections.”

People can get an enrolment form by calling 0800 36 76 56, by Freetexting their name and address to 3676, by requesting or downloading one from the elections website at www.elections.org.nz or at any PostShop.

Those unpublished on the electoral roll can call electoral officer Dale Ofsoske on 0800 922 822 to find out how to cast a special vote.

The Western Bay council's Maketu-Te Puke ward by-election comes after newly-elected councillor Graeme Crossman resigned on October 22 (2013), due to family business pressures.

The Waihi Beach Community Board was already facing a by-election before the October 12 local body elections, with only three people standing for the four seats. The three candidates were duly elected, and a by-election for the last seat was announced.

Currently, 2497 electors are enrolled to vote in the Waihi Beach by-election, which will elect a fourth community board member.

Meanwhile, 10,931 electors are enrolled to vote in the Maketu-Te Puke by-election, which will elect a new councillor for the ward to the Western Bay of Plenty District Council.

The by-elections for both areas are on February 11, 2014, with voting papers to be delivered to letterboxes from January 20, 2014.

Nominations, to stand in the by-elections, also close this coming Monday.