Nine councils to decide on online voting trial by Christmas

Thursday, 30 August 2018

Nine councils hope an online voting trial can supplement traditional methods in 2019.

Nine local bodies should know by Christmas whether online voting can be trialled in their elections next year.

The councils are seeking proposals from providers but the big question is whether legislation will be passed in time for the October 2019 poll.

The nine hope to jointly trial online voting alongside the traditional postal poll, with time tight to agree on a system without knowing exactly when Parliament would give the OK.

The country's biggest local body, Auckland Council, along with some others have been pushing to be allowed to trial online voting for more than five years.

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'The postal system is dying,' said Marguerite Delbet, the council's general manager of democracy services.

'There is a strong commitment from the nine councils to try to make online voting happen,' she told Stuff.

Turnout in postal-voted local body elections has declined from a nationwide average of 57 per cent, to 42 per cent in 2016.

The government announced in 2013 that an online trial would be allowed for the 2016 local body elections.

That decision was reversed six months out from the 2016 elections by the associate local government minister Louise Upston.

'Public confidence in local elections is fundamentally important. Given real concerns about security and vote integrity, it is too early for a trial,' she said in April 2016.

Amending legislation is back before a Parliamentary select committee, but a final decision might not be made before next March.

Auckland renewed the push in May, backing a trial in 2019.

'There is strong support for online voting with 74 per cent of Aucklanders telling us after the 2016 election that they would prefer to vote online,' said Mayor Phil Goff.

A trial would be for a particular subset of voters, with Auckland hoping it can be offered to 10 per cent of its one million voters.

Delbet said those decisions might be considered by the council in October, with possible groups being those with disabilities, overseas electors, or perhaps those who live in one part of the city.

Auckland Council is joined by Gisborne District, Hamilton City, Matamata-Piako District, Tauranga, Palmerston North and Wellington cities along with the Marlborough and Selwyn District Councils.

Each council needs to weigh up an eventual business case, and decide probably before the end of the year, whether they are in.