How to fill in your ballot papers for the 2024 NSW Local government elections/Illawarra Mercury/August 28

Illawarra Mercury

WATCH: How to fill in your ballot papers for the 2024 NSW Local government elections

Transcript

00:00Local government elections will be held on Saturday, September 14.

00:08New South Wales is divided into local government areas.

00:12Each local government area is managed by a council and voters in each area elect people

00:17to represent them on the council.

00:20Voting is compulsory.

00:22Watch this video to understand how to complete your ballot papers.

00:26Preparing to vote.

00:28If you are planning to vote in person before Election Day or in person on Election Day,

00:34check where you can vote by visiting elections.nsw.gov.au.

00:40Enter the address of where you are enrolled to vote to find a list of polling places and

00:45information about each venue's opening hours and accessibility.

00:50Completing your ballot papers.

00:52When it comes time to vote, you will be given one or more ballot papers to complete, depending

00:57on which council area or council ward you are enrolled in.

01:01All voters will be given a council ballot paper to complete.

01:05You may also receive a mayoral ballot paper, a referendum ballot paper and or a poll ballot

01:11paper.

01:12Read the instructions on each ballot paper carefully.

01:16Councillor.

01:17The directions for voting on the ballot paper shows the minimum number of candidates you

01:21must vote for in order for your vote to count.

01:25Add the number 1 in the voting square next to the candidate of your first choice, the

01:29number 2 in the voting square next to your second choice candidate, and so on, until

01:35you have voted for the minimum number of candidates required.

01:39You can vote for more candidates if you wish.

01:42Some councils are divided into smaller areas called wards.

01:46If you live in one of these councils, you will vote for councillors to represent your

01:50ward, who will join councillors from other wards on the council.

01:55In some councils, the ballot paper will have a thick line running across the page, with

01:59voting squares both above and below the line.

02:03On these ballot papers, you can mark your preferences either above the line or below

02:08the line.

02:10Voting above the line.

02:12If you vote above the line, you must write the number 1 in the voting square next to

02:17the group of your first choice.

02:19By doing this, you are voting for that whole group of candidates in the order they are

02:23listed below that square.

02:26You can vote for more groups by writing the numbers 2, 3, and so on in order of your preference.

02:32If you vote above the line, do not write numbers in any squares below the line.

02:38Voting below the line.

02:40You vote below the line if 1.

02:43You want to vote for candidates within a group in the order of your choice, 2.

02:48You want to vote for candidates from different groups in the order of your choice, 3.

02:53You want to vote for ungrouped candidates in the order of your choice, 4.

02:57You want to vote for a mixture of grouped and ungrouped candidates in the order of your

03:01choice.

03:03To vote below the line, write the number 1 in the square next to the candidate of your

03:07first choice, write 2 in the square next to your second preference, 3 in the square next

03:13to your third preference, and so on.

03:16For your vote to count, you must select the minimum number of candidates as indicated

03:22in the directions for voting.

03:24If you vote below the line, do not write numbers in any squares above the line.

03:30Mayor.

03:31In some councils, the mayor is elected directly by the voters.

03:34If you live in one of these areas, you will also receive a ballot paper for the mayoral

03:38election.

03:40If you have to complete a mayoral ballot paper, you must write the number 1 in the voting

03:44square next to the candidate of your first choice.

03:48You can vote for more candidates by writing the numbers 2, 3, and so on in order of your

03:54preference.

03:55In other councils, the mayor is chosen by the councillors after the election.

04:01Referendum or poll.

04:02Some councils may also hold a referendum or a poll.

04:06This could be a question about changing the way the mayor or councillors are elected in

04:10the future, or a poll about an issue in your community.

04:14To complete a referendum or poll paper, follow the instructions to answer yes or no.

04:20Voting by post.

04:22If you apply for a postal vote, or you are registered as a postal voter for every election,

04:27you will receive your ballot papers in the mail.

04:31You will also have other information to complete, such as a postal vote certificate.

04:36A witness needs to sign and date the postal vote certificate in the spaces provided.

04:41If you need help to understand the postal vote instructions, and to complete your ballot

04:45papers and postal vote certificate, you can ask a family member, friend, or carer to help

04:51you.

04:52Please read the instructions carefully.

04:55For your postal vote to be counted, your completed ballot papers and postal vote certificate

05:00must be received by the NSW Electoral Commission by 6pm on Friday, September 27, 2024.

05:08Further assistance.

05:10If you need further assistance completing your ballot papers, you can ask an election

05:14official if you are voting in person at a polling place, or take a friend, family member,

05:20or carer with you.

05:22Your vote is secret, but if you need help, it's okay to take someone to the voting screen

05:27with you.

05:28Similarly, you can ask a friend, family member, or carer for help if you are completing a

05:33postal vote ballot paper and postal vote certificate.

05:37For more information about the 2024 local government elections, visit elections.nsw.gov.au

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