Result of e-poll in doubt

By MICHAEL FOREMAN

The result of a landmark internet vote on whether to allow the creation of a .bank.nz domain run by the Bankers Association may be in question after a mix up over poll closing dates.

Spokeswoman Caroline Kidd was unable to confirm yesterday whether the Bankers Association would ask for the result - which is understood to be too close to call - be declared void if the vote went against its wishes.

The poll, which was open to anyone with a .nz email address, was organised by the Internet Society of New Zealand (ISOCNZ) to help it decide whether to grant an application by the New Zealand Bankers Association to create and moderate the new domain name.

If the application is approved it will allow any registered bank to use www.[bank name].bank.nz websites and @[bank name].bank.nz email addresses.

But in order for the application to proceed, the Bankers Association required a minimum of 200 votes with at least 70 per cent in support of the proposal.

Votes could be cast either by email or at a website operated on behalf of ISOCNZ, but not both.

According to ISOCNZ voting officer Steven Heath polling closed at midnight on Sunday and the results had been passed to scrutineers from the Bankers Association and the Internet Society. It is understood that scrutineers may have to remove some duplicated votes which have been cast at the website as well as being sent by email.

Mr Heath said he had "informally reviewed" the results, but he would not reveal details in advance of a formal announcement tomorrow. He would not confirm whether more than the necessary 200 votes had been received but he said the size of the vote had exceeded his expectations.

But Grant Kerr at the New Zealand Bankers Association refused to discuss the vote, saying it would be "totally inappropriate" for him to make any comment before polling had closed.

Mr Kerr insisted that the poll would remain open until midnight yesterday, as specified on a press release sent out by the Bankers Association. We checked this release, and it does indeed state that polling will close on 26 March. But when we visited www.election.com yesterday afternoon we found that polling had already closed.

The result is not binding on ISOCNZ but if the vote is not carried the Bankers Association will have to wait at least a year before it can resubmit its application.

Links


NZBA .bank domain application

Vote here