<sod>A total of 3,070,847 people were registered to vote in the election,<ref name="electorate">{{cite web |url= http://www.elections.org.nz/ages/electorate_all.html |title= Enrolment statistics for the whole of New Zealand |publisher= Electoral Commission |date= 26 November 2011 |accessdate= 2 December 2011}}</ref> with over 2.2 million votes cast and a [[voter turnout|turnout]] of 73.83%<ref name="prelim results">{{cite web|title=Preliminary results for the 2011 General Election and advance voting for the Referendum on the Voting System|url=http://www.elections.org.nz/study/news/preliminary-results-for-the-2011-general-election-and-advance-voting-for-the-referendum-on-the-voting-system.html|publisher=Elections New Zealand|accessdate=2 December 2011}}</ref>—the lowest turnout since 1887.<ref>{{cite news |title="Decision 2011":Election Special Issue |newspaper=[[Otago Daily Times]] |date=28 November 2011 |page=2 |accessdate=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=General elections 1853-2005 - dates & turnout |url= http://www.elections.org.nz/elections/resultsdata/elections-dates-turnout.html |publisher=Elections New Zealand |accessdate=3 December 2011}}</ref>  The poor turnout was partially explained with many voters expecting the outcome to be a foregone conclusion, and a similar attitude was observed in {{NZ election link year|2002}}, when the Labour Party was well ahead in the polls and a low turnout resulted.<ref name="Low voting turnout">{{cite news |title=Editorial: Low voting turnout a product of many factors |url= http://www.nzherald.co.nz/best-of-political-analysis/news/article.cfm?c_id=1502734&objectid=10769710 |accessdate=3 December 2011 |newspaper=The New Zealand Herald |date=30 November 2011}}</ref><eod>
<sod>A total of 3,070,847 people were registered to vote in the election,<ref name="electorate">{{cite web |url= http://www.elections.org.nz/ages/electorate_all.html |title= Enrolment statistics for the whole of New Zealand |publisher= Electoral Commission |date= 26 November 2011 |accessdate= 2 December 2011}}</ref> with over 2.2 million votes cast and a [[voter turnout|turnout]] of 73.83%<ref name="prelim results">{{cite web|title=Preliminary results for the 2011 General Election and advance voting for the Referendum on the Voting System|url=http://www.elections.org.nz/study/news/preliminary-results-for-the-2011-general-election-and-advance-voting-for-the-referendum-on-the-voting-system.html|publisher=Elections New Zealand|accessdate=2 December 2011}}</ref>—the lowest turnout since 1887.<ref>{{cite news |title="Decision 2011":Election Special Issue |newspaper=[[Otago Daily Times]] |date=28 November 2011 |page=2 |accessdate=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=General elections 1853-2005 - dates & turnout |url=http://www.elections.org.nz/elections/resultsdata/elections-dates-turnout.html |publisher=Elections New Zealand |accessdate=3 December 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527022404/http://www.elections.org.nz/elections/resultsdata/elections-dates-turnout.html |archivedate=27 May 2010 |df=dmy }}</ref>  The poor turnout was partially explained with many voters expecting the outcome to be a foregone conclusion, and a similar attitude was observed in {{NZ election link year|2002}}, when the Labour Party was well ahead in the polls and a low turnout resulted.<ref name="Low voting turnout">{{cite news |title=Editorial: Low voting turnout a product of many factors |url= http://www.nzherald.co.nz/best-of-political-analysis/news/article.cfm?c_id=1502734&objectid=10769710 |accessdate=3 December 2011 |newspaper=The New Zealand Herald |date=30 November 2011}}</ref><eod>