Published on Tuesday, 26 September 2023 at 12:42:18 PM
With less than one month to go, community members are being urged to make their vote count in the upcoming local government election.
With the terms of six Councillors and the Mayor ending this year, there are four available positions on Council, as well as the Mayoral role.
Voting packs are now being received in the mail and City of Greater Geraldton CEO Ross McKim is urging people to get their votes in as soon as possible.
“We have four candidates running for the position of Mayor and a total of 16 candidates making a bid for the four Councillor roles,” he said.
“It’s great to see so many passionate locals put their hand up to represent our community and I encourage everyone to vote for those who make vital decisions for our city.
“By voting in the local election, ratepayers and residents can contribute to effective local government by having a voice in determining who will represent them.”
Voting packs have now been lodged and electors should be receiving them soon. Each person enrolled to vote will be issued a ballot package by mail which will provide details and instructions on how to vote.
With the most significant local government reforms in more than 25 years, one of the key reforms is the change from first-past-the-post system of voting to optional preferential voting (OPV).
This means when voting – you can put a 1 next to the name of one candidate, or you can keep numbering for as many choices as you wish.
The local government election is a postal ballot – and voters are urged to get their voting packs in as soon as possible.
Ballots can be returned in the reply paid envelope by mail or hand delivered to the City of Greater Geraldton Civic Centre on Cathedral Avenue or the Mullewa District Office on the corner of Thomas and Padbury Street, during business hours, prior to election day.
All ballot papers must be returned by 6pm on Saturday 21 October 2023 to be included in the count for the election.
If you don't receive a ballot paper by 4 October or make a mistake with the ballot paper mailed out to you, head to the Civic Centre to be issued a new one. The ballot paper mailed out to you will be cancelled so there is no risk of your vote being counted twice.
You can find out more about how OPV works by heading to the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries website.
And to learn more about the candidates who have nominated, head to the City’s website.
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