The Western Bay of Plenty District Council chief executive is calling for online voting to help increase voter participation.

The council is facing a lower voter turnout than the past two elections, despite a campaign to turn this around.

Voting document returns for the Western Bay of Plenty are at 15.8 per cent for eligible voters as of September 30. This is down from 16.33 per cent for the 2019 election and 20.19 per cent in 2016, for the same period.

Total voter turnout for the 2019 election was 39 per cent of eligible Western Bay of Plenty voters. This was well below the national average for district councils of 48 per cent, according to Department of Internal Affairs figures.

All votes for local government elections must be returned by mail or physically delivered to a voting box at designated collections sites, like libraries or council offices.

Council CEO John Holyoake told Local Democracy Reporting there was 'a lot to be said about the old-fashioned way” the local government voting process is being run.

He says there is now a generation 'that have never experienced life without a smartphone in their hand”.

As well as communities that no longer have post shops and there are people who didn't know where their post shop was, said Holyoake.

'When's this [voting] going to be online and accessible and people can do it in two minutes?”

Holyoake has the support of electoral officer Dale Ofsoske.

'We [the local government sector] have been pushing for online voting for quite some years now, not as a replacement, but as an alternative [to postal voting],” says Ofsoske.

'What we're trying to achieve in that option, is that you can return them much more quickly rather than relying on the postal system, and it will appeal we believe to the younger generation as well.”

A small group of councils proposed to trial online voting in the 2019 election and consultation was undertaken.

The trial was rejected by the Department of Internal Affairs because it was 'very mindful of the security concerns with online voting.”

'Any new voting methods need to be secure, accessible, and with high electoral integrity so the public can have confidence in the result,” according to the DIA website.

On the topic of voter turnout, Ofsoske says Western Bay of Plenty is tracking 'reasonably well” when compared to other areas of a similar size.

Whakatāne District is at 14.3 per cent but Porirua was 'only” at eight per cent, he says.

'Across the board it [voting returns] is way down, and that is disappointing.”

Holyoake said his council had a stretch target of 60 per cent voter turnout.

We'll be disappointed if we don't achieve better [voter returns] than we have in the past.

The council is running a ‘Generation Change' campaign to increase voter participation and attract a more diverse range of candidates and voters.

This included 'poll parties” to encourage people to vote and going to places that don't have a post office, like Matakana Island, to collect voting papers, said Holyoake.

Increased social media presence, advertising and a ‘Generation Change' website were also part of the strategy.

'Our campaign was about getting diversity and different lived experience from people actually running and I'm really pleased with what we've achieved in that space.”

He said the council had 'done everything within its control, gone out and really pushed hard” to increase voter participation.

'The last part really is up to the people, [whether] to participate or not.”

Voting closes at 12pm on October 8.

How the wards stack up:

‍Total Western Bay of Plenty voting documents returned as at 30 September:

Kaimai Ward: 2100 (14.7%)

Katikati-Waihī Beach Ward: 2250 (18.1%)

Maketu- Te Puke Ward: 1850 (14.8%)

Total: 6200 (15.8%)

Enrolled voters: Kaimai Ward: 14,265 | Katikati-Waihī Beach Ward: 12,421 | Maketu-Te Puke Ward: 12,542 | Total: 39,228

Source: www.generationchange.nz

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.