Local elections 2022: Waikato Regional Council to list candidates in random order on voting papers

Waikato Regional Council will list candidate names in random order. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Preparations for the upcoming local elections are under way across the region with first candidate posters appearing on local fences and councils getting ready for the election process.

The process also includes deciding in what order to list candidate names on voting documents and Waikato Regional councillors just chose to list candidates in random order.

There are three options for how candidate names can be listed: in alphabetical order, pseudo-random order or fully random order. All options cost the council the same.

Pseudo-random means the order of candidate names is determined randomly and all voting documents use that order.

Fully random means the order of candidate names is arranged randomly for each voting document.

A council report presented to councillors at the end of last month revealed that out of 118 New Zealand councils, district health boards and licensing trusts, 63 used random order, 47 alphabetical and eight pseudo-random in the 2019 local government election.

For this year's election, eight Waikato councils have opted for random, while the remaining three decided to use an alphabetical listing of candidate names.

The council report cited research undertaken by Auckland Council on the impact on the electoral outcome based on candidate ordering in the last four elections.

The research was focused on Auckland voter behaviour and found there is no evidence that candidates listed first were more likely to be elected.

Despite choosing the fully random order for the voting documents, the candidate statements in the candidate book will appear in alphabetical order.

The candidate book, together with the other voting documents, will be mailed to enrolled voters in September.

Waikato Regional Council decided to use the first past the post (FFP) voting system in the local elections this year.

Candidate nominations open on July 15 and close at 12pm on August 12. The candidates available to vote for will be announced on August 17. For more information visit the Waikato Regional Council website.