A staggering 512 people lodged their ballot at the pre-poll centre in the shopping centre yesterday.

With 5749 on the electoral roll, that is nine per cent of the total vote on the first day.

"It was the biggest centre in terms of votes by a mile," a spokesman for the NT Electoral Commission said.

As well as Katherine, 58 voted in the Arnhem electorate, which now includes the Tindal RAAF Base.

Many of those votes were also lodged in Katherine.

Some votes would also have been lodged there for Daly as well, which had 91 votes made.

To compared how big the first day turnout was in Katherine, the next biggest opening day total was the Palmerston seat of Blain with 357.

Katherine's four candidates and and their supporters were run off their feet on the opening day with the actual poll still 11 days away.

Pre-poll voting is generally always popular in Katherine, and also around the NT.

More than 1000 people voted in the first five days of early voting in Katherine for last year's Federal Election.

A total of 2637 people chose to vote early in the 2016 poll won narrowly by Labor's Sandra Nelson.

For the August NT election, the early voting centre is at the former Hourglass Jewellers shop in the shopping centre.

For the August 22 poll, the polling centres will be at the Civic Centre and MacFarlane Primary School.

Candidates have been advised no campaigning is to be allowed on the pre-poll site, or even in the car park.

On election day, Tindal voters will be able to cast their vote in their new electorate of Arnhem at the community centre but the closest early voting centre is at Katherine.

Times for the pre-poll centre in the shopping centre are:

Monday, August 10 to Saturday, August 15 - 8am to 5pm.

Sunday, August 16 - 9am to 3pm.

Monday, August 17 to Friday, August 21 - 8am to 6pm.

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