Stop the count! Fraudulent voting has upended an important national election abroad.
New Zealand’s annual Bird of the Year competition has been rocked with controversy after more than 1500 fraudulent votes were detected, reported CNN.
Forest and Bird, the organization behind the election, confirmed the voting irregularity which briefly pushed one of the candidates, the Little-Spotted Kiwi, to the top.
"It's lucky we spotted this little Kiwi trying to sneak in an extra 1,500 votes under the cover of darkness," election spokesperson Laura Keown said in a statement. "But they'll have to play by the rules like all of the other birds to win the competition."
Keown said the sham votes were cast using fake email addresses traced to the same IP address in Auckland.
While there hasn’t been a need for a recount, the fraudulent votes were all removed.
With over 35,000 votes cast, eligible voters rank their top 5 birds. Each is allowed to submit one vote per email address.
The Bird of the Year competition was established in 2005 in order to promote New Zealand’s over 200 species of native birds.
“About 75% of land birds and 90% of seabirds are threatened or at risk of extinction,” reads a notice on the Bird of the Year’s official website. “Their habitats are being destroyed or degraded by introduced predators, pollution, human development, and climate change.”
Besides the Little-Spotted Kiwi, other birds vying for the title include the Rock Wren, Barn Owl and the Spotted Shag.
“All of our birds deserve a fighting chance, especially this little manu, our smallest kiwi, which is so threatened by predators that it is extinct on mainland New Zealand outside of predator-free sanctuaries,”Keown said.
“If you really love the kiwi pukupuku, get out and campaign for them in Bird of the Year. We don't want to see any more cheating.”
Early voting began last week and runs through November 15th. International votes are allowed, so make your voice count and cast your legal vote here.
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