Councils are calling for a major change to the way local body elections are held in New Zealand, urging the Government to move away from postal voting to a ballot box system.
The proposal was in a draft position paper by Local Government New Zealand, which aims to address low voter turnout.
LGNZ has made 20 recommendations for the 2028 local elections to help increase turnout.
It recommends a nationwide two-week period be introduced for voting at booths. The system would be similar to voting in the general election.
The proposal comes as traditional postal services continue to decline, making voting by mail increasingly unreliable.
Voter turnout in local body elections has averaged between 42% and 44% since 2007. In the 2022 elections, the turnout in Christchurch was 43%.
Nelson Mayor Nick Smith, who chairs LGNZ’s electoral reform group, said postal voting is no longer a viable option due to the decline in mail volume and reduction of post boxes.
Smith said LGNZ wants the Electoral Commission to take over the local government elections.
"Isn't it better for the integrity of our elections that it's managed at arms length, and that's why we think it's a no-brainer to run with the Electoral Commission," he said.
"People understand the habit of going to their library or supermarket or mall with the way the Electoral Commission today runs polling booth voting. Let's just make voting for local elections exactly the same voter experience, we know that system works."
Most councils outsource election management to private companies, which LGNZ say poses potential risks to the integrity of the process.
The draft proposal is set to be finalised at LGNZ’s conference in July.
Electronic voting has been considered by the Government for more than a decade. In 2019, the Department of Internal Affairs decided against a trial due to security concerns raised by the intelligence agencies.
The Electoral Reform Working Group is asking for public feedback on the draft position paper via the LGNZ website or by emailing electoralreform@lgnz.co.nz.
Consultation would close on April 28, with a final position paper to be made public in July this year.
LGNZ is also calling for other election reforms, such as changing the length of the local government term from three years to four. A bill has also been introduced at Parliament to extend the Government term to four years.
