The perils of social media

The 2016 local body elections will pose more of challenge than other year's because of social media, believes Electionz.com chief electoral officer Warwick Lampp.

Warwick's the man in charge of the Tauranga City and Rotorua District council elections, plus 24 other council, one regional council and seven district health board elections, including the Waikato DHB.


Electionz.com chief electoral officer Warwick Lampp. File Photo.

And having presided over 11 council elections nationally, issues surfacing in the lead up to the October 8 elections are unlikely to faze the election veteran. But for Warwick, the biggest change has come with the rise of social media use by both candidates and the public.

'Social media has become much more prevalent, everything is out in the open and discoverable,” he explains.

'People have access to things and can comment on things at their leisure which makes it difficult for people like us to keep track of information and understand where things are coming from.”

Today Warwick will be in Rotorua to provide advice and guidance to prospective candidates at a workshop taking place at Rotorua Lakes Council Civic Centre, from 5-7pm.

It's one of a number of presentations Warwick delivers to councils focussing on social media issues.

People need to be aware of their social media presence, think about where those links go and not only understand the implications but keep it in mind when they are campaigning, he explains.

'There are protocols in place for maintaining a level playing field for candidates so candidates can't link to council's social media channels for example because the moment you do that you are using a council resource,” he explains.

'Under the protocols you can't use a council resource, logo or branding in candidates' campaigning material. That's all about having a level playing field between all of the candidates.”

But it's not all doom and gloom, there are some good points about social media too, he adds.

'There are lots of opportunities on social media to find out about the candidates and use social media to raise awareness about the process.

'Local Government NZ and Rotorua Lakes Council are using social media extensively to profile council elections in that demographic who don't generally vote in order to get them to vote.”

Nominations for candidates for the 2016 local body elections opened on July 15 and close on August 12. Voting papers will be sent out from September 16 and must be received by the electoral officer by noon on Election Day, 8 October 2016.

For more information visit: electionz.com

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1 comment

CANDIDATES

Posted on 25-07-2016 12:55 | By Colleen Spiro

Some candidates do themselves no favours using Social Media :(


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