The proposed trial of online voting in this year’s local body elections will not proceed after the working party made the reluctant decision to halt the trial.

In July last year the Future Tairāwhiti Committee had supported in principle for Council to proceed with the online voting trial, joining a working party of eight other councils from around New Zealand. Significant work followed by participating councils, Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ), the Society of Local Government Managers (SOLGM) and the Department of Internal Affairs on consultation, regulations and security analysis.

Although the working party had selected a provider that satisfied all of the security and delivery requirements, the cost burden for the councils involved ultimately forced the decision.

The total estimated cost for the nine councils participating was determined to be $4.23 million, with the cost to Gisborne District Council being approximately $200,000.

The chief executives of all the participating councils considered the costs to be too high to implement the trial this year.

Yesterday the Future Tairāwhiti Committee noted a report on the decision and agreed no further Council resources be put into online voting until it is advanced by central government and LGNZ.

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