Dunedin City Council has withdrawn from an online voting trial. Councillors made the decision late this afternoon after a three-and-a-half hour debate. The decision makes Dunedin the fifth and last council to pull out of the internet-based voting trial – being organised for a set of councils – because security risks and the cost. Eight councils including Wellington, Porirua and Palmerston North have agreed to pursue the trial at next year’s local body elections.
At Dunedin Council’s meeting today, several computer experts warned the risks of using the internet for voting were too great, but representatives of the blind community backed it, saying online voting was their only chance of being able to vote for themselves.
Councillors were concerned about the $165,000 cost of the trial, and the possibility of the voting system being manipulated. They voted 10 to 4 to pull out of the trial.
Full Article: Dunedin withdraws from online voting trial | Radio New Zealand News.
The Voting News
A News Service of the Verified Voting Foundation
