The Government's decision to pull the pin on a trial of online voting has come as no surprise to Whanganui Mayor Annette Main.
Internal Affairs Minister Louise Upston announced the plan for eight councils, including Whanganui, to trial online voting wouldn't go ahead because time was running out for councils to prove voting systems addressed concerns about security and vote integrity.
Yesterday Ms Main said the decision didn't surprise her with elections only six months away.
"It's getting close to the election, and I don't believe that there's enough time for us to engage with the public and have them confident about this process, and that's really important," she said.
"If the intention was to increase voter participation I don't think it would have achieved that at this late stage."