Becoming a candidate for the 2024 Northern Tablelands State by-election
Learn about becoming a candidate, including understanding essential information and your legal obligations, the registration process to begin campaigning, managing campaign finances, navigating the nominations process, creating electoral material, and ensuring compliance with political donation disclosure and electoral expenditure laws.
 Information and obligations |
 Register to start campaigning |
 Campaign finances
|
 Nomination for the by-election |
 Electoral material (how to vote) |
 Disclosures and electoral expenditure
|
Information and obligations
There are strict laws and deadlines that must be followed to become a candidate, relating to:
- being registered before you can accept political donations and incur electoral expenditure
- being nominated as a candidate
- producing and distributing electoral material.
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.
Candidate information webinars
A candidate information webinar was recorded for candidates and other political participants for the by-election.
Educational resources and forms available to candidates
Resources
Candidate handbook (PDF 3.9MB)
SE.213 Appointment of a Scrutineer (PDF 0.1MB)
If you any have questions:
Contact us by email.
Phone us during business hours on 1300 022 011
Register to start campaigning
A candidate must be registered for the election before accepting political donations or making payments for electoral expenditure. Political donations include raising funds 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 influences voting at the election.
Being registered as a candidate for the election is a separate process to being nominated to have your name included on a ballot paper (see Nomination for the by-election for details on the nomination process).
Candidates who are not registered must not accept political donations or make payments for electoral expenditure before being nominated. Once the NSW Electoral Commission confirms that an unregistered candidate has been validly nominated, they can lawfully accept political donations and make payments for electoral expenditure for the election.
Registration for the election closes on Thursday, 6 June 2024.
The details of registered candidates are included in a publicly available register.
Once registered, if your registered details change you must let us know within 30 days using Funding and disclosure online or download, complete and submit a Notice of change in registered particulars form.
For more information, visit Register to start campaigning.
Campaign finances
The party agent is responsible for managing the political donations and electoral expenditure of candidates who are members of a political party. Candidates who are not members of a political party are personally responsible for the management of their political donations and electoral expenditure for their candidacy.
All candidates can accept political donations and incur electoral expenditure once registered (see “Register to start campaigning” for details).
Make sure you are aware of, and understand, your legal obligations. The NSW Electoral Commission enforces the strict rules that apply to accepting political donations and incurring electoral expenditure.
There are caps on political donations which limit how much a candidate can accept from a person or entity during a financial year. Find out more about the political donation caps and the rules that apply.
There are caps on electoral expenditure incurred between 31 May 2024 and election day, Saturday, 22 June 2024, limiting the electoral expenditure a candidate can incur during the capped expenditure period. Find out more about expenditure caps and the rules that apply.
A candidate 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. 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, and receipts provided in relation to donations accepted by, or on behalf of, candidates.
Find out more about when and how to operate a campaign account and how to keep proper records.
Nomination for the by-election
Nominations have now closed.
To be nominated as a candidate for the election you must be enrolled to vote in New South Wales by 6pm Friday, 31 May 2024.
Lodgements of nominations commence Friday, 31 May 2024 and close at 12 noon Thursday, 6 June 2024. Late nominations cannot be accepted
You may be nominated by either:
- a registered political party, or
- 25 electors.
If nominated by 25 electors, the electors must be enrolled in the Northern Tablelands district by 6pm Friday, 31 May 2024.
Nominations can only be lodged as follows:
- In person at the NSW Electoral Commission's head office, 231 Elizabeth Street, Sydney by prior appointment by contacting the candidate helpdesk on 1300 022 011 or by email to candidates@elections.nsw.gov.au
- In person at the elections managers office located at 214 Beardy Street, Armidale NSW.
Opening hours: 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday.
Office number: (02) 9179 0000.
Electoral material (how to vote)
Regulated election period
From Friday, 31 May 2024 to 6pm on election day, Saturday, 22 June 2024, all electoral material must meet the requirements of legislation in relation to content, type, placement and distribution of electoral material during the regulated election period.
For information on the legislative requirements for electoral material, please refer to the Candidate handbook.
Registration of electoral material
All electoral material that is to be distributed on election day by political parties, 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 to indicate it is for collection by the public.
Registration of electoral material commences Thursday, 6 June 2024 and closes at 5pm on Friday, 14 June 2024. Late application cannot be accepted.
SEBY.212 Application to register electoral material (PDF 0.2MB)
Electoral material that has been registered for distribution on election day is published on our website.
The following types of electoral material do not need to be registered:
- posters or corflutes displayed on election day or pre poll
- any items distributed outside of election day.
Visit the Electoral material rules and registration information page to learn more.
Preparing your electoral material
EL.228 Creating accessible documents (PDF 0.1MB)
SEBY.245 Preparing your 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 example:
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 below example:
Venue projections
Locations and projections for voting centres, early voting centres and declared facilities can be accessed via each of the links below. These locations are current as at Wednesday, 5 June 2024 . Listings will be updated as additional venues are identified.
Early voting centres (XLSX 0.1MB)
Declared facilities (XLSX 0.1MB)
Ballot paper templates
Ballot paper templates have been provided to assist in the preparation of electoral material (how-to vote material).
When including a sample of the ballot paper on electoral material the details must be an accurate representation of the ballot paper, including:
- the candidates appearing in the correct order
- the spelling of candidate’s names is accurate
- registered political party names and the inclusion/exclusion of the word Independent are accurate; and
- the instructions for casting a formal vote are accurate.
Partial representations of the ballot paper may be acceptable on your electoral material.
Ballot paper templates (PDF 0.1MB)
Obtaining list of electors
Once nominated, candidates may request an electronic list of electors enrolled for the district for which they are a candidate by completing the SE.220 and SE.220A Candidate request for electronic roll forms below. The two completed request forms should be sent to enrolmentsupport@elections.nsw.gov.au.
SE.220 Candidate request for electronic roll (PDF 0.1MB)
SE.220A Undertaking to the NSW Electoral Commissioner for the provision of enrolment information (PDF 0.3MB)
The list of electors will contain the name and address of electors – the postal address where provided - and other particulars of electors entitled to vote in the election, but it will not contain the address of any silent elector.
Disclosures and electoral expenditure
Political donations and electoral expenditure must be disclosed to the NSW Electoral Commission. Disclosures are publicly available and can be viewed on our website. The following disclosures must be submitted by all candidates participating in the election:
Half-yearly political donation disclosure
- Political donations made and received by candidates must be disclosed every six-months.
- The half-yearly disclosure periods end 31 December and 30 June.
- If you do not make or receive any political donations during the half-yearly period you are required to make a ‘nil’ disclosure.
Annual electoral expenditure disclosure
- Electoral expenditure incurred within the annual period must be disclosed by candidates annually.
- The annual disclosure period ends 30 June.
- If you do not incur any electoral expenditure during the annual period you are required to make a ‘nil’ disclosure.
Candidates are required to make disclosures from the time they are registered or nominated for the election up to, and including, the relevant disclosure period ending 30 June 2025.
Disclosure requirements are strictly enforced, and it is a criminal offence to fail to submit a disclosure on time.
Disclosures can be submitted through Funding and disclosure online. Using FDO reduces the risk of lodging invalid or incomplete disclosures, and you will be able to see the status of your disclosure. Alternatively, download, complete and submit a disclosure form.
Find out more about how and when to make disclosures.