Voting booths may be trialled for this year’s local body elections in Waitaki.
On Tuesday, Waitaki District councillors called for an investigation into polling booths for October’s council elections.
The matter came up as councillors considered a staff recommendation to approve postal voting in 2025 and 2028.
But a return to voting booths is one of 20 recent draft recommendations by the Local Government NZ (LGNZ) Electoral Reform Working Group to shape the future of local elections and increase voter turnout.
The votes returned using the postal system in Waitaki has been declining.
The turnout was 45.5% or 8115 votes in 2022 (excluding specials) out of a total population of 25,000.
Cr Rebecca Ryan asked if the council could "trial in some way" the booth option.
Chief executive Alex Parmley said the council already operated a "hybrid" option on polling day in Oamaru.
He noted the LGNZ review of the elections and the polling booth option "may be coming" anyway.
"There are some concerns about remaining with postal voting for much longer," Mr Parmley said.
Cr Jim Hopkins said he was pleased Cr Ryan had posed the question.
"We have to have a postal vote unless the council resolves otherwise — which does suggest the council could have a system other than postal."
Cr Hopkins wondered if the voting booth option was for the Electoral Commission or the council.
"The question is not entirely frivolous, could a local authority do that of its own accord?"
Mr Parmley said investigating the booth option would require staff resources — already noted on Tuesday as "stretched".
Cr Hopkins said the postal method might still be the option for 2025 but wondered if the council could opt for a polling booth choice as well.
Mr Parmley said it was an option but it needed exploration.
Mayor Gary Kircher said some councils had previously planned to introduce online voting but that seemed fraught.
Cr Jim Thomson said it needed to be looked at seriously.
"There is a wide section of our community that regards us as totally incompetent."
The council needed to attract future representatives of "sufficient calibre because of that", Cr Thomson said.
Mr Parmley said he could not say a report might come back to the next meeting.
However, "drop-off points" to mitigate the postal system drawback might be explored.
Cr Thomson also noted a "dismissive" view of the polling booth options in central government but exploring it "would send a message" to Parliament on an important issue, he said.
Cr Jeremy Holding voiced his opposition, but a majority backed the exploration.
