Health Board vote count seen as a fiasco by candidates

A Shambles. A mess. Just terrible.
That's how Bay of Plenty District Health Board candidates describe this year's nightmare election count. The final vote count for the Bay board and 17 other boards as well as seven city and district councils is unlikely now to be known until the middle of next week because of a computer glitch.
Opposition MPs yesterday blamed the Government for the botch-up, saying Afghanistan had run a smoother election and that the buck had to stop in the Beehive.
Current Bay of Plenty health board chairwoman Mary Hackett said the vote processing problems should never have happened.
"It's pretty frustrating, I would have to say, but there's not much we can do about it."
She said it was likely the problems would have an effect on whether the single transferable voting (STV) system was used again. "It's not STV that's at fault, it's the company."
The delay was also preventing Minister of Health Annette King from appointing up to four members of the community to each health board around the country.
Mrs Hackett said nominations for the Bay appointments had been forwarded to Mrs King but the minister would have to wait until results were known before making a decision.
"She appoints members of the community to the board to ensure an ethnic, gender and regional balance," Mrs Hackett said.
Sitting member David Stewart, who was resigned to waiting another week to find out whether he would be returned to his position on the board, described the STV counting system as a shambles. "Nothing can be done until the votes are counted and candidates notified. Once this is over and completed a thorough investigation into (electionz.com, the company processing the votes) must be undertaken," Mr Stewart said.
He said the delay was unfair on candidates and voters.
"A lot of people put time and money into their campaigns and to be left sitting around like this is just terrible," Mr Stewart said.
The election could possibly be one of the biggest shambles in New Zealand's voting history.
The Ministry of Health would have to investigate the STV system and the process of vote counting "once this is all over", he said.
Voter confusion at having to handle both STV and first-past-the-post voting in this year's local body elections would have contributed to some of the confusion, he said.
Candidates Tim and Debbie Short said they were pulling their hair out over the delays. "We would like to know the results so we can get on with the job if we're elected - or get on with our lives," said the couple, who stood on the "better deal cancer lobby" ticket.
"Everyone will blame STV for this mess but it's not STV as such that's to blame. Questions need to be asked whether electionz.com is up with the play.
"What criteria was used to appoint them? Was it cost? Are there penalties in the contract for late performance? What comeback do we have for this shambles?"