Northern Tablelands State by-election bulletin No.3

Bulletin No.3 
Issued 13 June 2024

Electoral material registration closes on Friday

All electoral material (including how-to-vote cards) to be distributed on election day must be registered with the NSW Electoral Commission. It is an offence to distribute unregistered electoral material on election day.

Registration of electoral material closes at 5pm on Friday, 14 June 2024. Late applications cannot be accepted.

The application to register electoral material form is available on our website. Applicants should email the completed form with a copy of the electoral material to candidates@elections.nsw.gov.au.

Reporting non-compliant electoral material

If you have concerns that election material is unlawful during the regulated election period, report it to us by email via candidates@elections.nsw.gov.au. Reports should not be made by telephone.

A report should include a copy of the electoral material. For electoral material published on the internet, including social media, a URL link or the name of the social media account and a screenshot should be provided. An emailed report will be acknowledged and managed in accordance with our policies, which are published on our website. Unless permitted by law, the NSW Electoral Commission is unable to disclose information about the outcome of specific matters reviewed.

Concerns about electoral material displayed or distributed at early voting centres or voting centres on election day may also be raised directly with the voting centre manager.

Disinformation register

Our Disinformation register tracks and rebuts prominent false and misleading statements about electoral processes in our state. It also notes any action taken by the NSW Electoral Commission.

False information about election processes circulating in the community, including through different forms of media, can undermine confidence in the integrity of democratic processes. The NSW Electoral Commission will continue to monitor media and social media during the election period.

View the Disinformation register.

Candidate details available on website

Details of the candidates for the election are published on our website, see ‘Who are the candidates?’.

The information displayed for each candidate includes their:

• name as it will appear on the ballot paper
• suburb, town or other locality of their place of residence
• affiliation to a registered political party or if independent
• child protection declaration
• contact details (if provided for publication)
• registered electoral material (if applicable).

Voting options available to electors

Postal voting

Electors can apply for a postal vote online, over the phone or by downloading and printing a form available on our website.

Postal vote applications close at 6pm, Monday, 17 June 2024. Late applications cannot be accepted.

Postal vote packs will be sent to electors from Tuesday, 11 June 2024. Electors must complete their ballot papers and postal vote certificates by 6pm on election day, Saturday, 22 June 2024. Completed postal votes must be received by the NSW Electoral Commission by 6pm on Friday, 5 July 2024.

Early voting

Early voting is available on Saturday, 15 June 2024 and from Monday, 17 June to Friday, 21 June 2024. Early voting centres can be viewed on our website. Opening hours may vary for each location.

Telephone assisted voting

Telephone assisted voting is only available to people who are blind or have low vision. Electors can apply and vote from 9am Saturday, 15 June 2024. Applications close at 6pm Friday, 21 June 2024. Voting will be available until 1pm on election day Saturday, 22 June 2024.

Election day

Voting centres will be open from 8am to 6pm on election day, Saturday, 22 June 2024. Electors can find information about the voting centres on our website.

Scrutineers, candidate workers and volunteers

Role of scrutineers

Scrutineers represent candidates and political parties, to observe election processes and see that rules are followed fairly and impartially. A scrutineer’s presence provides an additional level of assurance to political participants and the public regarding the integrity of the election process. 

Candidates and parties may appoint scrutineers to represent them at any location where voting is carried out, declaration and postal vote envelopes are scrutinised, and where votes are counted. Section 17 of the Candidate handbook (PDF 4MB) provides important information for political participants about scrutineering.

Scrutineers must be appointed in writing by completing a SE.213 Appointment of Scrutineer form available on our website. Scrutineers must complete the declaration on that form each time they attend a scrutineering location.

Role of candidate workers and volunteers

Candidate (including party) workers and volunteers are allowed to:

• distribute electoral material more than six metres from the entrance of an early voting centre or election day voting centre, subject to any directions relating to safety or order issued by election officials
• use the toilet facilities
• enter an early voting centre or voting centre when voting is occurring to discuss safety or order issues with the voting centre manager, or to collect or store electoral material (if space permits) when voting is not occurring
• a campaign t-shirt may be worn by workers when entering a voting centre for those purposes.

More information about candidate workers or volunteers is available in the Candidate handbook (PDF 4MB).

Electoral funding and disclosure requirements

A reminder that political participants must be familiar with the rules that apply to political donations and electoral expenditure. Fact sheets that summarise the electoral funding requirements for political parties, candidates and third-party campaigners are available on our website and in the Candidate handbook (PDF 4MB).

Registration of candidates

The deadline for a candidate to register to accept political donations or make payments for electoral expenditure was the close of nominations. Any candidate who had not already registered was taken to be registered on the day their nomination form was lodged. This means they could lawfully accept political donations and make payments for electorate expenditure for the by-election from that time.

Registration of third-party campaigners

Registration for third-party campaigners close Monday, 17 June 2024. A third-party campaigner is an individual or entity that incurs more than $2,000 of electoral expenditure in relation to the election but does not stand as a candidate or group, and is not a political party, associated entity or elected member.

When registering, a third-party campaigner must appoint an official agent who is required to comply with disclosure and campaign account legal requirements on behalf of the third-party campaigner. Third-party campaigners must be registered prior to making payment for electoral expenditure incurred in the capped expenditure period for the by-election. Register using Funding and disclosure online.

View the public registers of candidates, third-party campaigners and parties.

Capped expenditure period

The capped expenditure period for the by-election commenced on 31 May 2024 and ends on election day, Saturday, 22 June 2024.

There are different caps applicable to candidates (including expenditure incurred by their party) and third-party campaigners during this period. Visit our website for more information on expenditure caps.

Public funding for election campaigns

Candidates for state elections may be eligible to be reimbursed for certain electoral expenditure incurred in connection with a State by-election in the three-month period preceding the election day. Eligibility criteria apply. More information is available in the Candidate handbook (PDF 4MB).

Political donations

Strict rules apply to political donations, including:

• what are the different types of political donations
• how can political donations be used
• who can make and who can receive a political donation, including individuals and entities who are prohibited from making political donations
• caps on political donations.

For further information on political donations go to our website.

Disclosure of political donations and electoral expenditure

A disclosure is the reporting of information to the NSW Electoral Commission related to:

• political donations received and made, and electoral expenditure incurred by parties, candidates and associated entities,
• electoral expenditure incurred during a capped expenditure period and political donations received by third-party campaigners to pay for that electoral expenditure, and
• reportable political donations made by major political donors.

The following types of disclosures apply for State by-elections:

• half-yearly disclosures of political donations
• annual disclosures of electoral expenditure, and
• annual disclosures of reportable political donations (for major political donors only).

Disclosures can be made using Funding and disclosure online following the instructions on entering data and completing a disclosure form. Information to be disclosed can be entered at any time from the start of the disclosure period until the disclosure lodgement.

Disclosures are made in a declaration that is like a statutory declaration, i.e. that all that is required to be disclosed has been disclosed. Penalties apply (including fines and prosecution) for failing to submit a disclosure by the deadline, making a false statement or making an incomplete disclosure without a reasonable excuse. Disclosure obligations apply even if no political donations were made or received, or if no electoral expenditure was incurred, and regardless of whether you are elected.

Candidates as well as the next elected member, parties and third-party campaigners have the following upcoming disclosure obligations:

• 1 July – 12 August 2024 - Lodge disclosures of reportable political donations made or received from 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2024, and
• 1 July – 23 September 2024 - Lodge disclosures of electoral expenditure from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024.

For more information on disclosures, go to our website and the Candidate handbook (PDF 4MB).

Counting and results

Detailed information about the counting of votes and determination of results is available on our website, including:

• an overview of the initial count and the two candidates preferred count beginning on the election night, the check count after the election day, and the distribution of preferences to determine the elected candidate
• the timeline and locations of scrutiny and counting, including postal and declaration votes
• early voting centres to be counted on election night
• vote count reports that will be published on our website.

Helpdesks

The helpdesk for candidates, registered political parties and other political participants is available from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday on 1300 022 011, from 8am to 6pm on Saturday, 15 June and from 7am to 6pm on election day Saturday, 22 June 2024.

All enquiries relating to electoral material, scrutineers, candidate workers and counting and results should be directed to the candidate helpdesk by email to candidates@elections.nsw.gov.au.

Email enquiries about candidate and third-party campaigner electoral funding registrations and the rules that apply to political donations and electoral expenditure can be directed to fdc@elections.nsw.gov.au.

All other email enquiries from political parties, candidates and other political participants should be sent using the Contact us form on our website.