By-election costs come to about $30K

Voting, voting everywhere, but democracy is not cheap.

The final results of the Queenstown Lakes District Council's Wanaka ward by-election have not even been announced yet, but already a date is being lined up for the Wanaka Community Board's by-election later this year.

Wanaka Community Board deputy chairman Quentin Smith was the winner of the Wanaka ward by-election with 1371 votes, meaning he will now take one of the three seats set aside for QLDC councillors on the board and vacate the seat he was elected to in October last year.

But local democracy comes at a cost and the Wanaka ward and community board elections are expected to cost about $30,000 each.

In the past year, voters in the Upper Clutha have already participated in the Otago Regional Council's Dunstan ward by-election, the Central Lakes Trust election, the Wanaka ward by-election and the local body elections in October.

Before the year is finished, they will have also voted in the community board by-election and the general election on September 23.

Electoral officer Jane Robertson said the council had set aside November 3 for the closing date of the community board by-election, which would be held by postal vote.

The $30,000 cost of holding a by-election covered the printing of voting forms, posting the forms, vote counting, insurance and general administration tasks such as preparing the electoral roll.

If there was only one candidate, a by-election would not be necessary and instead a public notice would be required to declare the candidate elected, Ms Robertson said.

Former councillor and three-term board member Jude Battson has indicated she will run for the vacant seat.

Ms Battson was the runner-up in the Wanaka ward by-election with 968 after the preliminarily results were announced last Friday.

She said she hoped to run unopposed to save the ratepayers the cost of another by-election.

The role of the Wanaka Community Board is to represent and act as an advocate for the Upper Clutha and it has the power to make decisions on many of the facilities and services located in the Wanaka ward.

tim.miller@odt.co.nz