Local Democracy Reporting

What happens if votes are tied in local elections?

By Matthew Rosenberg , Local Democracy Reporting

5:13pm

Invercargill City Council has a close race on its hands for the final seats. (Source: RNZ / Nate McKinnon)

Council hopefuls are enduring a nervous wait in some centres as several races remain too close to call under provisional results.

In Invercargill, the final seat at the table is currently held by a razor thin margin of seven votes.

Westland’s mayoral race is separated by just four votes, while further north, Kaipara’s mayoralty is a three-horse race with 31 votes in it.

Local authorities are still working their way through special votes and final results are not expected until later this week.

So what happens if it's a dead heat?

Invercargill City Council has provided some clarification, saying the winner would be determined by "lots" as per electoral legislation.

The ancient practice includes methods such as drawing straws for the purpose of randomised selection.

In 2019, the winner of a Whakatāne council seat was determined by a coin flip before a recount found the unlucky loser had actually won by a single vote.

A tied result is not an impossibility in Invercargill, given just 106 votes separate four candidates with 904 special votes still to count.

Lisa Tou McNaughton and Ian Reeves sit on either side of the cut-off with 5564 votes and 5557 votes respectively, but have remained philosophical.

Tou McNaughton said the result was in God's hands while Reeves said, "what will be will be".

The candidates unsuccessfully contested the 2023 by-election won by councillor Steve Broad, and McNaughton also stood in the 2022 election.

Both have been invited to a council induction on Wednesday despite the possibility neither make it in.

Trailing Reeves are three candidates who are still in the running: Lynley McKerrow, David Meades and Karl Herman.

Invercargill City Council is expected to release final results later this week.

Mayoral results across Southland include Tom Campbell securing a first term in Invercargill, Rob Scott securing a second term in Southland district and Ben Bell securing a second term in Gore district.

Invercargill City Council preliminary results

Mayoralty: Tom Campbell 6815, Alex Crackett 4940, Ian Pottinger 2272, Ria Bond 1731, Tom Morton 670, Andrew Clark 278, Stevey Chernishov 214, Gordon McCrone 63.

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