The Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board byelection has been rocked by allegations of voter interference. Photo / File
The Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board byelection has been rocked by allegations of voter interference. Photo / File
Candidates standing in an Auckland Council byelection for the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board deny any part in allegations of voter interference.
The police have been brought in to investigate the allegations, including a claim a man looking like one of the candidates made an elderly person fill in their ballot formand hand it to him.
The allegations were made by Malcolm Turner of the right-leaning Communities & Residents ticket in a complaint to the electoral officer, Dale Ofsoske, who has passed them to the police to investigate.
On Saturday, Turner published the first allegation on the Mangere Bridge Community Noticeboard Facebook page of a Polynesian man knocking on a woman's door to collect ballot papers.
A screenshot of the first complaint received by Communities & Residents candidate Malcolm Turner and posted on Facebook. Photo / File
The post attracted four more allegations of similar behaviour, and more than 143 comments. Turner included these allegations in the complaint to Ofsoske.
Another one of the allegations said: "Something strange happened Thursday night at my mother's in Mangere Bridge. A Polynesian man knocked on my mother's door (at) 7pm asking if she receive(d) the election papers ... he asked if he could take it as he was collecting them."
One candidate, Elnez Tofa, was disheartened at the allegations and as someone new to politics was shocked at how dirty it can be.
"This takes away from the voices of the very people we are meant to be standing up for.
"I can say with surety that my family and I have not ever collected any votes or made anyone fill in ballot forms," said the first-time candidate.
Tofa was concerned at how Turner had dealt with the issue publicly on Facebook by running his own investigation and insinuating one of the Pacific Island candidates was a suspect.
Labour candidate Papaliitele Lafulafu Peo said the matter had been appropriately referred to the police.
"I can confirm that I have not been to houses in Mangere Bridge to collect voting papers," the Labour candidate said.
Another candidate, Christian Malietoa-Brown said "it's definitely not me but I have heard too many stories from different people for it to be a total fabrication".
"Postal voting has always been more open to such problems and I hope the electoral commission do everything in their power to get to the bottom of these allegations and ensure that the integrity of the process is maintained," he said.
Independent candidate Sharon Bragg said: "Obviously something is happening, but what, I don't know. CCTV footage should be able to find something, somewhere."
Electoral officer Dale Ofsoske. Photo / Paul Estcourt
The candidates' information guide says "voting documents should not be collected from electors by candidates or their assistants. Each elector should post or deliver their own voting document to the electoral officer".
There are six candidates standing in the byelection: Sharon Bragg(independent), Phil Bridge(NZ Outdoors Party), Christian Malietoa-Brown, Papaliitele Lafulafu Peo(Labour), Elnez Tofa, Malcolm Turner(Communities & Residents).
Voting packs went out on January 26 and voting closes at noon on February 17.
