Those of Maori descent have until July 24 to choose whether they want to be on the Maori electoral roll or the general roll, Dunedin North and Dunedin South registrar of electors Dee Vickers said.
The Maori electoral option was a legal requirement held every five years and 2018 would be the next time the option would be exercised - two elections away.
Ms Vickers stressed that any change would not effect a person's party vote, ''but it does make a difference on who will represent them at a local level''.
The five-yearly option was an ''information exercise'' for voters, and it was up to the individual to make their own decision on what roll best suited them, she said.
Since the campaign began in March there had been a constant presence promoting the option at the University of Otago, and with Maori providers.
Figures released to the Otago Daily Times show 398 voters of Maori descent have opted to move from the general roll to the Maori roll, while 244 have gone from the Maori roll to the general roll.
The biggest shift has been voters in the Invercargill electorate, which also has the highest number of voters in the South who identify as being of Maori descent.
In that electorate 91 went from the Maori roll to the general roll, while 132 went from the general roll to the Maori roll.
The next largest shift occurred in Dunedin South, where 50 voters of Maori descent opted to go on the general roll, while 74 moved to the Maori roll.
The southern Maori electorate - Te Tai Tonga, which includes the entire South Island and part of the Wellington area - recorded 347 new Maori voters.
Nationally, 6727 voters had opted to go from the Maori roll to the general roll, while 6774 opted to go from the general roll to the Maori roll.
Southern electorate totals
Those on Southern electoral rolls who identify as being of Maori descent:
Waitaki ... 1822
Dunedin North ... 1667
Dunedin South ... 1899
Clutha-Southland ... 2130
Invercargill ... 3854
