2024 NSW Local Government elections: Political participants bulletin No.5
Bulletin No.5
Issued 1 August 2024
On this page
Upcoming key dates
Monday, 5 August
- Lodgement of nominations commences
- 6pm – Close of roll for the purposes of being a candidate or nominator, i.e. a person must be correctly enrolled by this time to be either a candidate, or to nominate a candidate
- Regulated election period for electoral material commences
Wednesday, 14 August
- 12 noon – Close of nominations
- 12 noon – Close of registration for candidates and groups
- Registration of electoral material commences
Thursday, 15 August
- Announcement of candidates and ballot paper draw
Candidate eligibility
It is the responsibility of each person nominating to ensure that they are eligible to nominate. To be eligible to nominate as a candidate, you:
- must be enrolled in the area for which you intend to nominate by 6pm Monday, 5 August 2024, and
- must not be disqualified from holding civic office.
More information regarding eligibility to nominate is available on our website.
Close of rolls
The residential roll, the roll of non-resident owners of rateable land and the roll of occupiers and ratepaying lessees all close at 6pm, Monday, 5 August 2024. A person must be enrolled by that time in the relevant council area which they are contesting to be eligible to nominate.
Where the council is divided, candidates do not need to be enrolled in the specific ward they are contesting. For example, a person enrolled in the North Sydney, Cammeraygal ward may nominate as a candidate in the North Sydney, St Leonards ward.
Lodgement of nominations
The nomination lodgement period is from Monday, 5 August 2024 to 12 noon, Wednesday, 14 August 2024.
Candidates and registered political parties are encouraged to lodge their nominations as soon as possible to allow time for any incomplete nominations to be amended. We urge every party and candidate not to wait for the final days of the nomination lodgement period.
Nomination forms or nomination deposits received after 12 noon, Wednesday, 14 August 2024 cannot be accepted.
Lodging your nomination online
Candidates and parties are strongly encouraged to lodge their nomination online using our nomination online management system (NOMS).
Using NOMS:
- verifies the enrolment of candidates and nominators
- assists in minimising errors and ensures all compulsory sections of the forms have been completed
- allows nominations to be partially completed and saved for lodgement at a later date (but no later than the close of nominations at 12 noon, 14 August 2024)
- allows parties, administrators and groups to oversee and manage the progress of each nomination
- allows the nomination to be lodged and deposit paid online (Visa or Mastercard).
Lodging your nomination in person
Nomination forms are available from our website, or by contacting the Candidate helpdesk on 1300 022 011 or email candidates@elections.nsw.gov.au. Paper nominations can be lodged in person at the Returning Officer’s office, or at some Council offices accepting nominations for the area for which a candidate is nominating. A list of Returning Officers’ offices and Council offices accepting nominations will be available on the website from 5 August. Please phone the location to make an appointment if you wish to lodge your nomination in person.
The nomination deposit when lodging in person is payable by either:
- cash, or
- credit union, bank or building society cheque made out to the NSW Electoral Commission.
Personal cheques cannot be accepted.
Witnessing the statutory declaration in the candidate information sheet
A completed and compliant candidate information sheet (CIS) must be received by the close of nominations, or the nomination will be rejected.
The CIS is a statutory declaration that must be witnessed and signed by an authorised person. People authorised to witness a NSW statutory declaration include:
- Justice of the peace – please note the NSW JP Public Register, or
- Public notary, or
- Lawyer (with a current practising certificate).
If your CIS is witnessed by an authorised person other than those above, the witness must clearly note why they are authorised to witness the declaration. Do this in the CIS section ‘Qualification of authorised witness’. If your CIS is not witnessed by an authorised witness, your nomination will be rejected.
Note: The people authorised to witness a NSW statutory declaration are not the same as for a Commonwealth statutory declaration. For this reason your CIS cannot be witnessed by members of professions such as accountants, Australia Post officers, Australian Defence Force officers, medical practitioners, police officers, pharmacists, public servants, etc.
If you experience issues having the statutory declaration witnessed, please contact the Candidate helpdesk on 1300 022 011 or email candidates@elections.nsw.gov.au for further information.
Close of registration for candidates and groups
Candidate registration for the election closes at 12 noon on Wednesday, 14 August 2024 (the same time as the close of nominations).
Being registered as a candidate or group is a separate process from being nominated.
Candidates and groups of candidates must register for the election before accepting political donations or making payments for electoral expenditure.
Candidates and groups who do not register before being nominated are taken to be registered once they have been validly nominated. From that time, political donations can be accepted, and payments can be made for electoral expenditure for the election. Candidates and groups who do not register prior to nomination will be notified by the NSW Electoral Commission and advised of their electoral funding obligations.
Any candidate or group who is not yet registered and wishes to accept political donations or make payments for electoral expenditure before being validly nominated can still apply to be registered using Funding and disclosure online until 12 noon on Wednesday, 14 August 2024.
The details of registered candidates and groups are included in a publicly available register.
More information about registering as a candidate or group.
Postal voting
Postal vote applications open Tuesday, 6 August 2024. Electors can apply online, over the phone on 1300 135 736 or by downloading and printing a form available on our website.
Any political party or candidate intending to distribute postal vote applications to electors that also includes electoral material must use the approved form of the application. You can request a copy of the approved form by emailing candidates@elections.nsw.gov.au
If you intend to distribute postal vote applications that include electoral material it is recommended that a copy of your final artwork is provided to the NSW Electoral Commission for review, which may help to identify any issues of non-compliance with legislative requirements.
Your artwork, including any reply-paid envelope provided with the postal vote application, must not be designed to give the appearance that it is being sent directly to the NSW Electoral Commission when, in fact, the envelope is to be sent elsewhere.
All applications must be received by the NSW Electoral Commission by 5pm on Monday, 9 September 2024. Applications received after this time cannot be accepted.
Braille ballot papers
Electors who are blind or have low vision can apply for braille ballot papers.
Applications for braille ballot papers must be made to the NSW Electoral Commission by 6pm, 5 August 2024 in writing via email to pva@elections.nsw.gov.au or over the phone by calling 1300 135 736.
Braille ballot papers can be posted to an elector’s enrolled address or an alternative address or delivered to a pre-poll voting office (during pre-poll) or polling place (on election day) within the elector’s council area, where the elector will complete them in person.
Polling place locations and projections
Polling place and pre-poll voting offices, including projections, will be made available on our website from 5 August 2024.
The opening hours for pre-poll venues will be available at that time, using the Find my electorate tool.
Electoral material authorisation requirements
The regulated election period for the 2024 NSW Local Government elections commences Monday, 5 August 2024 and continues until 6pm on election day, Saturday, 14 September 2024.
A person must not, during the regulated election period, print, publish, distribute or publicly display electoral material, without legibly showing on the material:
- the name and address of the person on whose instructions the material was printed, published, distributed or displayed; and
- if the material has been printed, the name of the printer and the street address of the premises at which it was printed.
The address of a person means an address, including a full street address and suburb or locality in Australia at which the person can usually be contacted during the day, but does not include a post office box. A street address of the premises does not include a post office box number or a DX number.
For more information about the legal requirements for electoral material please refer to the Candidate handbook.
Compliance operations during the regulated election period
The NSW Electoral Commission reviews and, where appropriate, investigates possible breaches of electoral laws. Some breaches of the law are identified through our own compliance work. Others are reported to us by members of the public or referred by other agencies.
During the regulated election period the NSW Electoral Commission’s compliance team monitors and reviews reports of contraventions of electoral laws, including on social media platforms. NSW Electoral Commission investigators may be visiting voting venues during the pre-poll period and on election day. These investigators are monitoring that electoral material, and the conduct of campaigners, comply with the legislation. During voting, election officials also monitor and respond to common compliance issues, particularly regarding the 6-metre rule and the display of electoral material at and near venues.
Directions given by an investigator or other election officials to ensure compliance with the law and to support safety around polling places must be followed.
Relevant principles for responding to breaches of electoral laws include:
- urgency and impact: reports are prioritised according to considerations including legislative timeframes and the potential impact of the reported breach on the election
- available resources: decisions are made about dealing with reported breaches that support available resources being used appropriately
- proportionality: any action taken will be proportionate to the seriousness of potential breaches of the law and the circumstances of the case.
More information about reporting a breach of electoral laws.
Party registration freeze
A reminder that during the election period for the 2024 NSW Local Government elections (5 August 2024 to election day, 14 September 2024) it is not possible for registered parties to change their registered details with the NSW Electoral Commission. Applications to amend the registered details of registered parties submitted during this time will not be processed until after the election. The Local Government Register of Political Parties is published on the website.
Disclosures: reminder due date for political donation disclosures is 12 August 2024
Disclosure of political donations made and received by political participants for the period 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2024 are due to be submitted by 12 August 2024. Disclosures can be submitted online using Funding and Disclosure Online.
Disclosures: reminder due date for major political donors is 12 August 2024
Disclosure of reportable political donations made by major political donors for the period 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 are due to be submitted by 12 August 2024. A reportable political donation is a donation that, when aggregated with other donations made to the same recipient in a financial year, amounts to $1,000 or more.
Disclosures can be submitted online using Funding and Disclosure Online.
Regulatory priorities
The NSW Electoral Commission’s Regulatory priorities support electoral integrity by setting out our strategic regulatory focus for the year. The Regulatory priorities are updated and published annually to reflect emerging issues and key events in the election cycle.
View our Regulatory priorities.
Security and privacy of enrolment information
Election participants who are entitled to receive enrolment information under the Local Government (General) Regulation 2021 are reminded of the need to protect the security and privacy of that information.
Enrolment information is protected information under the Regulation and each participant must provide an undertaking that their systems and procedures are adequate to preserve the security of that information.
It is an offence to use or disclose enrolment information for purposes that are not permitted under the Regulation.
Candidate helpdesk changes to operational hours
In the lead up to the election, the Candidate helpdesk hours will be extended:
- From Saturday, 3 August 2024, the helpdesk will be open 9am to 5pm each Saturday
- From Monday, 5 August 2024, the helpdesk will be open from 8:30am to 6pm Monday to Friday.
Contact the Candidate helpdesk on 1300 022 011 or email candidates@elections.nsw.gov.au.