The Government will consider making the Electoral Commission responsible for the administration of local elections, after three districts left Māori ward candidates out of profile booklets.
But Local Government Minister Simon Watts says careful consideration and time will be needed toimplement this, because of the nature of such a change.
Local elections have been run by councils for decades, with an Electoral Officer from private companies appointed to each area.
These private companies are responsible for election logistics, including vote processing, candidate information and organising the delivery of voting papers.
An issue was identified when voting packs were released in South Wairarapa, Whanganui and Ōpōtiki, with Māori ward candidates’ profiles excluded.
Electoral officer Warwick Lampp owned the mistake and, despite taking the brunt of the backlash, councils also have a part to play.
“Every council sees and signs off their voting documents back to me as Election Officer, but I have final signoff after the council has checked it,” Lampp said.
Like Lampp, Electoral Officer for Ōpōtiki Dale Ofskofske said: “Our mistake, our cost.”
Māori ward candidates were also missing from the Manawatū, Nelson, and Tasman district’s profile booklet, as well as the only mayoral candidate for Manawatū.
But this was no misprint.
It is not a requirement for the profiles of candidates who run unopposed to be included in voting packs as those candidates will automatically get the seat.
Since last year, Local Government NZ (LGNZ) has called for local elections to be run by the Electoral Commission.
Māori ward candidates were left out of local election booklets across three districts. Photo / Getty Images
LGNZ interim chief executive Scott Necklen said the recent errors could affect the public’s trust in local elections and the upcoming Māori wards referendum.
“While New Zealand’s election services providers do a good job with the resources available, the issues we’ve seen this year reinforce the need for one centralised provider to run local elections to provide consistency for all candidates and voters,” Necklen said.
Chief electoral officer Karl Le Quesne said the Electoral Commission’s role in local elections is limited to supporting enrolment and providing electoral roll information to councils.
Changes to the way local elections are run would have significant legislative, institutional and funding implications, he said.
Consideration would need to be given to:
the benefits of centralisation
how to maintain local input
how decisions would be made on electoral systems and voting methods (postal or in-person)
how elections would be funded under a more centralised model.
“A range of factors contribute to turnout, including voter engagement, media attention, campaign spending, and ease of access to the voting process,” Le Quesne said.
“Changes in administrative or delivery arrangements alone may not make a large or sustainable improvement in participation in the local elections.”
