A parliamentary commission has called for the introduction of electronic voting and funding for a national campaign to increase the number of voters and reduce abstention in New Zealand.
The Society of Local Government Managers told deputies that last year, voter participation had reached its lowest level with an average abstention rate of 47%. This dramatic figure led to the call for corrective action.
Executive president Karen Thomas suggests that electronic voting could be the catalyst for engaging younger voters.
She also proposed that voters with physical disabilities such as blindness and people who are living abroad have facilities in which they can exercise their right to vote during election time.
Thomas also urged the New Zealand government to look for funding to carry out various electoral campaigns, encouraging people to vote in local elections as well as national ones.
Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/241296/electronic-voting-urged
