|
Resolution
number AE/2024/181
MOVED by
Member C Robertson, seconded by Member J Maskill:
That the Albert-Eden Local Board:
a)
whakarite / provide
its feedback on the questions asked in the Electoral Reform Working
Group’s Issues Paper:
i)
Issue 1 – The
Public’s understanding of local government and why it’s
important:
A)
Question 1:
recommend civic education to be delivered in schools and include education on
local as well as central government so that school leavers have an
understanding of the functions and importance of local government and how to
participate in local democracy. Councils vary in their capacity to deliver
large-scale communications campaigns, so a high-level campaign delivered
centrally, either by the Electoral Commission as part of a wider mandate over
local elections, or by Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) (with support from
the Department of Internal Affairs [DIA]) would be more effective than
leaving it to individual councils.
B)
Question 2:
suggest early implementation of a campaign in election year to raise
awareness of what local government does and why local elections are
important. Expand and improve resources for the Local Democracy Reporting
programme.
ii)
Issue 2 –
Understanding candidates and their policies:
A)
Question 3: support
this work to be done by an independent body. This should reliably reflect the
decision-making scope of local government and remove the need for multiple
interest groups to produce separate questionnaires, which are onerous for
candidates to complete.
B)
Question 4: agree
on the importance of this matter, to improve candidate knowledge of local
government, especially about scope of duties and responsibilities so
decision-making on whether to stand is better informed. Some councils
already provide useful information in a candidate handbook. Other means of
accessing the information would also be useful, for example, webinars
showcasing real examples of elected member experiences and the types of
decisions required.
iii) Issue 3 – Voting methods
A)
Question 5: the
local board suggest this should not be done online (other than the ability to
receive and transmit papers electronically as overseas voters do in general
elections) as the security issues are insurmountable for the foreseeable
future, and digital exclusion is another issue. We acknowledge that postal
voting is increasingly untenable as mail volumes reduce, and especially with
the proposal to reduce the number of delivery days. Post should be an option,
but the primary emphasis should be on in-person voting. The local board note
that both Single Transferable Vote (STV) and First Past the Post (FPP) have
advantages and disadvantages. The local board has a range of views on whether
STV is preferable but supports investigating New Zealand councils’
experiences with both voting methods to support informed decisions.
B)
Question 6: support
this being decided locally – councils vary so widely in size and other
characteristics that the poor proportionality of First Past the Post (FPP)
also has varying impacts. We also note that the advantages of mandating
methods nationally should be investigated, for example, for mobile
populations in assuring consistency. A baseline level of service (in terms of
making voting accessible) should be mandated.
C)
Question 7: suggest
a mandate for a wider network of points where special voting packs can be
obtained in person (especially ensuring availability outside business hours).
Support having more drop-off points and a longer voting period, since with
fewer delivery days (and a proposal to reduce these further) it takes longer
to rectify errors in receiving voting papers, reducing the time available for
returning voting papers. Suggest that overseas votes should follow the same
system as in general elections, and this system should be available to voters
who live remotely or have mobility challenges.
iv) Issue 4 Administration and promotion of
elections:
A)
Question 8: Suggest
this being done by The Electoral Commission as they are a trusted independent
body who have the expertise and have been successful in achieving greater
accessibility of voting in general elections. They should be resourced to
apply their expertise to local elections.
B)
Question 9: Suggest
this being done by The Electoral Commission.
v)
Four-year terms:
A)
Question 10:
Prefer ‘Option 2 – 2-year timing’. Note a fourth option
(local government elections a year after central government elections) may be
worth investigating, since central government policy statements would then be
known at the beginning of a local government term and planning cycle.
B)
Question 11:
suggest this get done in four-year cycles with a 12-year horizon.
C)
Question 12:
support status quo mechanisms as they seem sufficient.
D)
Question 13: request compulsory voting should be investigated, noting the
increase in turnout in Tasmanian local elections after compulsory voting was
introduced for local elections.
CARRIED
|
