Hosking endorses e-voting

Mike Hosking writes:

I hope you’ve voted.

The first of the flag polls closes tomorrow.

I note there’s a bit of scuttlebutt about, suggesting if the turnover isn’t that high, then the pressure will go on the Prime Minister to call off the second vote in March.

I will countenance no such nonsense.

I think the turnout will be low. Why wouldn’t it be?

Getting people to drag mail in from the box, open envelopes, read instructions, sign forms and stick them back in envelopes and go find a post box is from 1992 if not earlier.

All voting should be electronic, at your leisure via phone, tablet or computer.

Your vote should be a click.

A referendum such as this would be ideal for e-voting. I submitted that it should be an option.

As Hosking says, amazing so many people can bother to find a post box today.

The only winner out of all this paperwork is New Zealand Post which is probably very grateful given the state of its company. It’s one of the ironies of the vote: people who complained about the cost mostly didn’t realise it’s virtually all stamps.

Actually changing the flag, if we do, will cost a couple of million bucks. The meetings they held, the advertising and so on is actually pocket change compared with the post bill which is about $17 million of the $26 million budget.

And arguably the net cost to the taxpayer is only $9 million as the $17 million post bill is extra revenue for NZ Post.

So to the flag itself.

I’ve voted for the Blue and Black, the black is us, it’s got the stars and the fern, it’s perfect.

If not that, I’d take the blue and red.

If perchance any of the other three pop up – which they won’t, but if they do – I’ll be sticking with the status quo.

I have never wanted change for change’s sake, I’ve wanted change because we have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make a statement about who we are and where we’re going.

I did red and blue first.

After tomorrow we’ll have the contender, the new flag on the block.

The beauty of that is that for the first time, we have choice, proper choice, win and lose choice.

Ranking options is choice, but nothing fundamentally changes. Once we have the two go head to head that’s when it really starts to count.

That’s when we’re going to see people really get engaged, because it actually matters.

Yep the real debate and choice starts next week. For the first time in our history people in March will get to decide what should be our national flag.