Council information webinar - Election operations Q&A

These rolls close at 6pm on 5 August 2024. There is no requirement to declare that enrolments have closed.

In order to nominate as a candidate, and to have their name appear on the ballot paper for the election, each prospective candidate must lodge a nomination form and nomination deposit during the nomination period.

Where candidates are a forming a group, a group form is also required to be to be lodged.

The group form must be signed by each candidate in the group, signifying their agreement to the order of the group, as it will appear on the ballot paper.

If at 12 noon on nomination day, Wednesday, 14 August 2024, only the required number of candidates (or less) have been duly nominated, those candidates will be declared elected. This is referred to as an uncontested election.

Uncontested elections are declared on the day after nominations close, i.e. 15 August 2024. However, candidates in an uncontested election are taken to have been elected on the day on which the election would have been held, i.e. Saturday, 14 September 2024.

 Where less than the required number of candidates are nominated, a by-election will be held at a later date to fill in any vacancy.

The Returning Officer’s office address and office hours will be available on the NSW Electoral Commission website on 5 August.

Once they have established their offices, the Returning Officers will contact and introduce themselves to their respective councils.   

Material displayed on a council website is not required to be registered with the NSW Electoral Commission.

Electoral material must not be displayed or distributed within 6 metres of the entrance to a pre-poll venue or polling place.

During the regulated period, Monday, 5 August 2024 up to 6pm, Saturday 14 September 2024, electoral material must not be displayed on any premises occupied or used by, or under the control or management of any Council.

During the regulated period, the NSW Electoral Commission regulates the display of posters in two general ways:

• Content, e.g. incorrect or misleading information about voting, that it includes the name and address of the person authorising the material, etc.
• Placement, e.g. posters are not permitted on certain premises, or within 6 metres of venues at which people are voting, etc.

We do not expect Council rangers to remove posters that are not compliant with these rules. Council can contact candidates@elections.nsw.gov.au to discuss removal of such posters.

We appreciate that Council may hold public safety concerns regarding the placement of posters, including A-frames, on footpaths or other public spaces and will act according to its authority in these matters.

The NSW Electoral Commission does not regulate the size of posters or the period of when they are displayed, which are matters that Council regulate. Councils will be aware that election posters may also be ‘exempt development’:

• It if it not be more than 0.8m2 in area 
• Displayed only during the following periods:
  1. 8 weeks immediately preceding the day on which the election is held
  2. the day on which the election is held
  3. 1 week immediately following the day on which the election is held.

For a popularly elected Mayor election, or if one only one councillor is to be elected, the optional preferential system is used.

If two or more councillors are to be elected, the proportional representation system is used.

The votes are counted according to the preferences marked by the elector on their ballot paper.

Learn more about how votes are counted in a local government election.