WA may introduce e-voting for local govt elections

The Western Australian Government may introduce electronic voting for local government elections and use technology to modernise the process of council meetings as part of a proposed new Local Government Act.

The state government has launched a public consultation into proposed reforms to local government legislation and is seeking feedback from residents to help shape the outcome of these reforms.

Among the technology-based proposals being considered are introducing the ability for local residents to submit questions during question time through new channels such as email or social media.

Such reforms may be necessary to increase engagement of ratepayers in council meetings and decisions, according to discussion papers provided for the public consultation.

In addition, the state government has proposed to introduce electronic voting for local council elections as a method of improving the low turnout and improving convenience and cost-effectiveness.

The discussion paper notes that while there is currently no evidence of instances of deliberate voter manipulation through online voting in Australia, the security implications of introducing online voting would have to be carefully managed.

The government is also considering introducing compulsory voting for local elections to reflect the fact that less than a third of eligible electors cast a vote in most local government elections.

Finally, the state government has proposed to introduce a legislative requirement for local governments to adopt a social media policy.

Such a policy would address the use of social media by council members and staff, as well as the appropriate use of social media in community engagement.

The paper notes that concerns have been raised about the negative and undisciplined way social media is being used by local government — particularly during the 2017 local government election — as well as the presence of what it terms “keyboard warriors” using social media to attack council members and local government employees. A mandatory social media policy would seek to address both these issues.

Image credit: ©picsfive/Dollar Photo Club

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