REUTERS/Praveen Menon Acquire Licensing RightsWELLINGTON, Oct 2 (Reuters) - New Zealanders on Monday started voting for a new government as advance in-person balloting opened ahead of the Oct. 14 general election. Chief Electoral Officer Karl Le Quesne said in a statement that 400 polling places were open on Monday. Voting before election day has increased in popularity, and in 2020, 68% of votes were cast in advance, Le Quesne said. Overseas electronic and in-person voting at embassies opened last week for enrolled voters. New Zealand does not use mail voting but in special circumstances some people can vote electronically.

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Persons: Praveen Menon, Karl Le Quesne, ”, Le Quesne, Chris Hipkins, Lucy Craymer, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: New, REUTERS, Rights, Zealanders, Overseas, National Party, Labour Party, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Wellington , New Zealand, Zealand