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The Dunedin City Council has scrapped plans to introduce a polling booth on campus during the upcoming local body elections. The returning officer, Pam Jordan, made the decision after concerns were raised that the booth could give the appearance of favouritism toward OUSA President Francisco Hernandez, who is a candidate for the Central Ward.

Hernandez is not the only candidate with ties to OUSA. Aaron Hawkins, a candidate for the mayoralty and Central Ward, is an employee of OUSA subsidiary Planet Media; and Students for Environmental Action Co-President Letisha Nicholas, who is also standing for Central Ward, has been door-knocking as part of OUSA’s campaign to enrol students to vote. However, Hernandez’s role in negotiating the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the DCC, which laid the platform for the booth to be introduced, was cited by sources a major reason for the decision.

Hernandez was understandably upset by the decision, and dismissed suggestions that his involvement in negotiating the MOU had given rise to a potential conflict of interest.

“What does that have to do with anything?” Hernandez demanded. “I was doing that in the context of my role as OUSA President, well before I was a declared candidate, or even thinking of becoming a declared candidate, and if I had known in any way that my candidacy would affect it I would not have stood as Councillor.”

The booth was to be placed in the Link during the last week of the election’s ridiculous six-week voting period, and was to help students cast special votes. Special votes are available to those who have missed the registration deadline, which closed on 15 August.

The decision means the only polling booth for the election will be located at the DCC offices. Other polling booths around Dunedin have been abandoned after enjoying limited uptake in previous elections. However, the campus booth – which was to be the first of its kind – was argued to be a special case given the unique nature of the student demographic.

“I think it is disappointing that there won’t be a polling booth on campus,” Hawkins told Critic. “I think it’s a very easy way for them to capture a large percent of this city’s population who traditionally don’t participate in local body elections. … it seems like a missed opportunity to engage the student population in the local body process.”

Hawkins believes that Hernandez had been “scapegoated” in the decision, and pointed out that the DCC had a poor record when it came to engaging students in the political process. “The Dunedin City Council don’t seem to have any real presence on campus at any stage, which I think is a contributing factor to the lack of student participation in local government.

“[Hernandez] is in a difficult position fulfilling his obligations as a student leader while at the same time campaigning for another job as a city leader, and it’s a shame that that conflict seems to have spelled the end of the voting booth,” Hawkins said.

The booth had not become public knowledge when the decision was made to pull it. This was primarily because OUSA wished to enrol as many students as possible, and were afraid that the availability of an on-campus polling booth would make students less motivated to register in the traditional manner. Consequently, the announcement was to be delayed until after the registration period had closed.

This appears to have backfired; both Hawkins and OUSA figures believe that had the booth been announced before Hernandez declared his candidacy, the booth would not have been scrapped. However, Hernandez disagrees.

“They probably would have pulled it anyway,” he said. “Would it really have mattered if we’d declared [the booth] in March or April? I think they still would have pulled it if I had stood. And if I had known they were going to do this, I can say unequivocally that I would not have stood for Council. I would have just been content to go to NZUSA [the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations].”

Despite the setback, OUSA will still be working with the DCC to help students cast special votes as easily as possible, and an OUSA spokesperson said that he could understand the decision. “From the outside, and from other candidates’ perspectives, it would have looked unfair.”

Before making her decision, Jordan consulted with the Electoral Commission in Wellington, who recommended the booth be pulled. However, Hawkins questions whether this process was particularly meaningful.

“That’s a really hard decision for someone in Wellington to make, who perhaps doesn’t understand the demographic or the Otago University calendar,” he predicted.