Vi Hausia: Former Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board Deputy Chair on the overturning of the Papatoetoe election due to manipulated voting papers

Questions over whether the postal voting system is working after a South Auckland local body election was overturned. 

Judge Richard McIlraith ruled irregularities altered the outcome of the Papatoetoe vote for the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board. 

The case involved stolen voting papers and fraudulent use, and a new election must be held by April 9. 

Former Deputy Chair Vi Hausia told Heather du Plessis-Allan this was discovered when names of people who didn't cast a vote, showed in the system. 

He says groups of people also went to cast a special vote after not receiving their paper but found they supposedly had already voted. 

LISTEN ABOVE  

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
There may be something to the weeks of allegations we've
been hearing about the voter for orden Auckland. A judge
has avoided the results of the Puppatoy Toy subdivision in
the Alltarta Puppatoy Toy Local Board elections. And this is
after claims that seventy nine people didn't vote even though
votes were cast in their name. V Housier brought the
case into the former deputy chairman of that local boarding
with us high Ve.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
More than Heather.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
So is basically what's been going on here is somebody
or groups have been going around stealing voting papers from letterboxes.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
You know, what we do know is that there was
groups of people who did the cast avert what showed
as voting in the system. There were also groups of
people who didn't was here voting. People met the effort
to go and cast a special vote, only to be
told that they had already had already voted.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
Now we know of seventy nine. Is the suggestion that
it's bigger than that.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
Yeah, so I guess that the postal ballot voting system,
it will a bit how to to it's easy to
interfere with, but half accountability. So the numbers that we
were able to gather is a minimum, but we weren't
able to ring fence on maximum. So that really kind
of opened up Pendor's box, and as the judge described

(01:17):
it in the hearing, it was kind of like the
tip of the iceberg.

Speaker 1 (01:21):
Yeah, okay, now, V, this this is a pretty good
argument for why we need to get rid of the
postal voting system, don't you think.

Speaker 2 (01:29):
Yeah, the postal ballot voting system had known risks, and
everyone knew of the risks in place with having a
postal ballot voting system. Unfortunately, in Papatito, the risks that
we all knew of came to fruition and so it
lit a bit unseiling. But I am feeling quite relieved

(01:49):
that the issues that were raised and experienced in the
community was brought to the forefront and the judge ultimately
made a ruling that I think put us in good
position to make some good changes about our electoral system
and needs to move away from the post developed vading system.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
All right, V, thank you very much for your time. V.
How is here? Former DVD Chairman of the Altata Papatotory Local.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
Board For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
Listen live to news talks it'd be from six am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio