Becoming a candidate for the 2024 NSW Local Government elections

Learn about becoming a candidate, including understanding essential information and your legal obligations, the registration process to initiate campaigning, managing campaign finances, navigating the nominations process, creating electoral material, and ensuring compliance with disclosures and electoral expenditure regulations.

Information and obligations	Register to start campaigning	Campaign finances
Nominations	Electoral material (how to vote)	Disclosures and electoral expenditure

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Information and obligations

There are strict laws and deadlines that must be followed to become  a candidate, relating to:

• being nominated as a candidate and/or forming a group
• registering for the election so you can start campaigning 
• producing and distributing electoral material 
• accepting political donations and/or incurring electoral expenditure.

You should understand the processes that are involved in becoming a candidate and the laws that apply to how you campaign and raise and spend money.

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Candidate information webinars

We will conduct a series of webinars for candidates and other political participants in the lead-up to the 2024 NSW Local Government elections.

Webinar topic	Time / date (s)	Registration link	Recording	Q&A
Candidate information	11am Tuesday, 21 May 2024		View	View
Election funding, disclosures and compliance	11am, Tuesday, 18 June 2024		View	View
Nominations	11am Thursday, 27 June 2024		View	View
Third-party campaigners	11am Tuesday, 9 July 2024		View	View
Electoral material, compliance and voting	11am Tuesday, 6 August 2024		View	View
Candidate workers and  scrutineers	11am Tuesday, 20 August 2024		View	View
Counting and results	11am Tuesday, 10 September 2024		View
Post-election disclosure obligations	11am Tuesday, 15 October 2024		View	View

Resources

Candidate handbook

Eligibility and disqualification for local government election candidates

Election bulletins

Election calendar

Political donations videos

Electoral material videos

If you any have questions:

• contact us by email
• phone us during business hours on 1300 022 011.

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Register to start campaigning 

A candidate or group must first be registered for the election before accepting political donations or making payments for electoral expenditure. Political donations include funds raised through fundraisers as well as other monetary and non-monetary gifts. Electoral expenditure is any expenditure that promotes or opposes a political party or the election of a candidate or group of candidates, or influences voting at an election.

Being registered as a candidate or group for the upcoming local government elections is a separate process to being nominated to have your name or the group included on the ballot paper. 

It is unlawful for unregistered candidates and groups to accept political donations or make payments for electoral expenditure before being nominated. Once registered you will be required to submit disclosure obligations. You should ensure you understand the disclosure and electoral expenditure requirements before registering.

Once an unregistered candidate or group has been validly nominated, they can then lawfully accept political donations and make payments for electoral expenditure for the election.

Registrations for the upcoming local government election on Saturday, 14 September 2024, are now open and will close at 12 noon on Wednesday, 14 August 2024. You can register using Funding and disclosure online.

The details of registered candidates are included in the: Register of candidates and Register of groups of candidates. Once registered, if your registered details change, you must let us know within 30 days using Funding and disclosure online. 

For more information:

• visit Register to start campaigning
• follow our Funding and disclosure online How-to-guides. 

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Campaign finances

Candidates, including those who are members of a group, are responsible for: 

•    managing their own political donations and electoral expenditure 

•    making disclosures of political donations made and received and electoral expenditure incurred

•    operating a campaign account to deposit political donations and make payments for electoral expenditure

•    keeping complete and accurate records of their campaign finances including issuing receipts and acknowledgements.  

For a group of candidates, the lead candidate is responsible for the group's political donations and electoral expenditure. Find out about the person responsible for groups of candidates. 

Candidates, groups and other election participants are responsible for understanding and complying with the rules set out in the legislation. These rules are strictly regulated, so you must ensure you are aware of, and understand, your legal obligations. 

There are caps on political donations, which means a candidate or group can only accept a certain amount from a person or entity in a financial year. Find out more about the political donation caps.

There are caps on electoral expenditure incurred between 1 July 2024 and election day Saturday, 14 September 2024. This means a candidate or group can only incur a certain amount of electoral expenditure during the capped expenditure period. Find out more about the expenditure caps that apply and the capped expenditure period for the local government elections.

Candidates must open and operate a campaign account before accepting $1,000 or more in political donations or incurring $1,000 or more in electoral expenditure.

Groups of candidates must also open and operate a campaign account before the group accepts $1,000 or more in political donations or incurs $1,000 or more in electoral expenditure.

The campaign account must be used to pay for electoral expenditure and deposit political donations that are used to pay for that expenditure.

Complete and accurate accounting and financial records of political donations and electoral expenditure must be kept by candidates and groups.

A receipt must be issued for any political donation of $1000 or more, received by candidates or groups. An acknowledgement is to be issued in relation to non-monetary donations. The receipt/acknowledgement must include a statement advising the donor of the requirements to disclose the donation to the NSW Electoral Commission. 

Find out more about when and how to operate a campaign account and how to keep proper records.  

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Nominations

Nominations have now closed.

To have your name included on a ballot paper, you must have nominated as a candidate for the election. Nomination is a separate process to being registered to accept political donations or to make payments for electoral expenditure.

To be nominated as a candidate for an election in a local government area or ward, you must have been enrolled to vote in the local government area by 6pm Monday, 5 August 2024.

The nomination period commenced Monday, 5 August 2024 and ended at 12 noon Wednesday, 14 August electoralmaterial2024.

Electoral material (how to vote)

Electoral material that is to be distributed on election day by political parties, groups, candidates, and any other persons or organisations, must be registered with the NSW Electoral Commission. This includes any material that is handed out or left in a position for collection by the public.

The following types of electoral material do not need to be registered:

•    posters or corflutes displayed on election day or during the pre-poll period

•    any items distributed outside of election day. 

From Monday, 5 August 2024 to 6pm on election day, Saturday, 14 September 2024 all electoral material must meet the requirements of the legislation. 

Electoral material that has been registered for distribution on election day is published on our website.  

View our educational videos to find more information on the rules and registration surrounding electoral material. 

Preparing your electoral material

• EL.228 Creating accessible documents (PDF 0.1MB)
• LG.245 Requirements for registration of electoral material (PDF 0.1MB)

Social media templates have been provided for your guidance.

Authorisation of every individual post is not required where no amount has been paid to the platform, provided an overarching authorisation is stated at the top of each social media account, as shown in these examples:

• Website (PDF 0.6MB)
• Instagram (PDF 0.2MB)
• Facebook (PDF 2MB)
• Twitter (PDF 0.2MB)

Social media posts, where an amount has been paid to the platform, must include the authorisation in all aspects of the electoral matter as shown in below example:

• Paid (boosted) Instagram post (PNG 2MB)

Register your electoral material

The registration of electoral material for the 2024 NSW Local Government elections is now closed. Unregistered material cannot be distributed on election day. View all registered material.

Venue projections

Locations and projections for polling places, pre-poll venues and declared institutions can be accessed via each of the links below. These locations are current as at Tuesday, 3 September 2024. Listings will be updated as additional venues are identified.

• Polling places (XLSX 0.3MB)
• Pre-poll venues (XLSX 0.1MB)
• Declared institutions (XLSX 0.1MB)

Ballot paper templates

Ballot paper templates have been provided to assist in the preparation of electoral material (how-to-vote material) distributed for the 2024 NSW Local Government elections.

disclosueeDisclosures and electoral expenditure

Electoral participants must disclose their political donations and electoral expenditure to the NSW Electoral Commission. Disclosures are published on our website.  

Candidates and groups at the 2024 NSW Local Government elections must disclose all political donations made and received and all electoral expenditure incurred from the time they are registered or nominated for the election, up to and including, the end of the last relevant disclosure period, on 30 June 2025. 

The following disclosures must be submitted for all candidates and groups participating in the elections:

Half-yearly political donations disclosures

Two disclosures of political donations made and received must be submitted:

1. For the half-yearly disclosure period from 1 January to 30 June (due by 12 August - add to calendar)

2. For the half-yearly disclosure period from 1 July to 31 December (due by 11 February - add to calendar). 

If you do not make or receive any political donations during the half-yearly periods, you are required to submit a ‘nil’ disclosure.

Annual electoral expenditure disclosure

Candidates and groups that registered before 30 June 2024 will be required to submit two annual disclosures of electoral expenditure incurred. Candidates and groups that registered after 30 June 2024, or were nominated without registering, will be required to submit one disclosure (number 2 below): 

1. Disclosures of electoral expenditure incurred between 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 (due by 23 September 2024 - add to calendar)

2. Disclosures of electoral expenditure incurred between 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025 (due by 22 September 2025 - add to calendar). 

If you do not incur any electoral expenditure during the annual periods, you are required to submit a ‘nil’ disclosure.

Candidates who are elected at the 2024 NSW Local Government elections must submit political donation and annual electoral expenditure disclosures in their capacity as an elected member, for every disclosure period for the term of their appointment. Elected members who are also candidates for re-election must submit the disclosures both as an elected member and as a candidate.

The disclosure requirements are strictly enforced, and it is an offence to fail to submit a disclosure on time. 

Disclosures can be submitted using Funding and disclosure online. Using our online platform can reduce the risk of lodging invalid or incomplete disclosures, and you will be able to see the status of your disclosure.  If you are unable to use our online platform, you can download, complete and submit a disclosure form. More information about making and submitting disclosures can be found on our website.