Electoral officer Warwick Lampp said the reason no Hawke's Bay councils had been considered was they had to commit to the e-vote pilot before the reorganisation poll was finalised.
"Therefore, there was a chance that the councils wouldn't exist," he said.
That was the view of the Department of Internal Affairs, he said.
Despite that, e-vote proponent Mr Nash said online polling was the way forward, especially with a generation who did everything via the web.
"This generation, they do things online," he said.
"It's how they buy their groceries, keep in touch with their friends. They don't send letters, they send emails."
That was why the MP had championed the issue, because "anything that encourages people to participate in the democratic process has got to be good".
He said, however, both methods were still useful because postal voting was all that some people knew.
Mr Nash said he was not too sure whether it would increase the number of those who voted.
"But keep in mind those who tend not to vote are those under the age of 24," he said.
"So anything that can encourage them to participate has got to be a good thing."
If approved by the Government, online voting will be put to the test at the next local body elections, with eight councils signing up for the trail.
They are Selwyn District Council, Wellington City Council, Porirua City Council, Masterton District Council, Palmerston North City Council, Wanganui District Council, Rotorua Lakes Council and Matamata-Piako District Council.
