Local Government elections will be held on Saturday, 14 September.
Voting is compulsory.
Watch this video to understand:
Postal voting
You may be eligible to vote by post and have your ballot papers posted to you.
First, check your eligibility at elections.nsw.gov.au, then apply online or over the phone by calling 1300 135 736. You can also apply by downloading the application form on our website and sending your completed form back to the NSW Electoral Commission.
Postal vote applications open Tuesday, 6 August and close at 5pm on Monday, 9 September. If you are eligible for postal voting, apply as soon as possible to ensure you receive your postal pack on time.
If you apply online, you will need to select one security question from a drop-down list. You will then need to provide an answer to your selected question.
Keep note of this answer, as you must later provide the same answer to your security question on the postal vote certificate when completing your vote.
Postal packs will be sent out from the week starting Monday, 19 August.
When you receive your postal pack, read the instructions carefully. For your vote to be counted:
- you must complete your ballot paper and postal vote certificate by 6pm on election day Saturday, 14 September, and
- the completed ballot papers and postal vote certificate must be received by the NSW Electoral Commission by 6pm on Friday, 27 September.
To complete your postal vote:
1. Remove all the contents from your postal pack.
The pack will include:
- instructions
- your postal vote certificate
- your ballot papers, and
- a return envelope.
2. Complete the postal vote certificate.
Read, sign and date your postal vote certificate before 6pm election day, Saturday 14 September 2024. This must be done in the presence of a witness.
If you applied for your postal pack online, you will need to provide the answer to your security question on the postal vote certificate. This needs to be the same answer you provided when you applied to postal vote. The security question you selected will be displayed on the postal vote certificate.
If you did not apply for your postal vote online, you do not have a security question and do not need to answer one.
3. Ask your witness to complete the ‘certificate of witness’ section.
Your witness also needs to sign and date the certificate in the spaces provided. If someone assists you to vote, by filling out your ballot papers or postal vote certificate on your behalf, they cannot sign as the witness. In this case, another person will need to be the witness.
4. Complete your ballot papers.
You will be given one or more ballot papers to complete, depending on which council area or council ward you are enrolled in. Read the instructions on each ballot paper carefully.
Ballot papers and your postal vote certificate need to be completed at the same time, and by no later than 6pm on election day Saturday, 14 September 2024.
Councillor
Some councils are divided into smaller areas called wards. If you live in one of these councils, you will vote for councillors to represent your ward, who will join councillors from other wards on the council.
In some councils, the ballot paper will have a thick line running across the page, with voting squares both above and below the line. On these ballot papers, you can mark your preferences either above the line, or below the line. Again, read the instructions carefully.
Mayor
In some councils, the mayor is elected directly by the voters. If you live in one of these areas you will also receive a ballot paper for the mayoral election.
In other councils, the mayor is chosen by the councillors after the election.
Referendum or poll
Some councils may also hold a referendum about changing the structure of the council in the future, or a poll about an issue in your community.
To complete a referendum or poll paper, follow the instructions to mark ‘YES’ or ‘NO’.
5. Fold and place your completed ballot papers in the fold of the postal vote certificate.
On the back of your postal vote certificate there are instructions about what to do with your completed ballot papers. Follow the instructions to ensure your ballot papers are placed in the fold of the postal vote certificate. There is an icon showing where to place your ballot papers.
6. Then put the postal vote certificate inside the return envelope provided and seal.
It is important you put your postal vote certificate inside the return envelope correctly. Follow the instructions carefully.
To check if you have placed the postal vote certificate correctly inside the return envelope, the NSW Electoral Commission return address should be visible in the larger clear window on the front of the envelope. You do not need a stamp if you post it from within Australia.
7. Post your envelope as early as possible.
Your completed postal vote must be received by the NSW Electoral Commission by 6pm on Friday, 27 September.
For more information about the 2024 Local Government elections, visit elections.nsw.gov.au.
The NSW Electoral Commission is not running elections for Fairfield or Liverpool City in 2024. Contact those councils directly for information about voting in those areas.