Change of voting system key to understand as local government election packages set for delivery

Electors have been reminded a new system of voting is in place for this year’s local government election ahead of election packages starting to arrive in mailboxes this week.

An optional preferential voting system has been introduced as part of local government reforms enacted earlier this year.

It means voters have the option to either order the candidates from most to least preferred, order just some of them or simply mark a first preference.

Three of the 11 nominations vying for seats on the City of Albany’s council are also contesting the mayoral election.

The WA Electoral Commission’s returning officer for Albany, Sally Thomas, said the mayoral count would be conducted first so that if one of the three candidates nominated for both positions was successful they could be “excluded” from the council count.

She said the ballots which had indicated a first preference for the excluded candidate would then be “distributed to the second preference as indicated on each respective ballot paper”.

“In some cases the ballot paper may only have indicated a number 1, and may then be excluded as exhausted,” she said.

“This is why it is useful to number a few more candidates than just one, especially as in Albany’s councillor election, there are four positions to be filled.”

Local government is the government closest to us, it’s part of our community and it’s worthwhile making an effort to vote to have a say in local matters.

Ms Thomas said ballot papers could become “exhausted” and be removed from the count if they have no further preferences to be distributed during the count process.

“I would recommend electors fill in as many numbers as possible in an optional preferential voting system, so their preferences can be determined; that is the candidates they prefer, as the ballot papers are distributed throughout the counting process,” she said.

“For the councillor election, there are four positions to be filled, so electors could fill the boxes from 1 to 4 and further among the eleven candidates.”

She also urged people to engage in their local government election.

“Local government is the government closest to us, it’s part of our community and it’s worthwhile making an effort to vote to have a say in local matters,” she said.

Winners of the local government elections across WA will be determined by a count on October 21.