Augusta Margaret River Shire chief executive officer Gary Evershed has urged electors to take the chance to vote, with voting packages heading to mailboxes this week.
“I urge voters not to be complacent, but to make sure that they have their say in who will be elected to Council,” Mr Evershed said.
“This is the first year that electors can vote under a no wards system for all four candidates of their choice so it is important that as many voters as possible have their say.
“At the last election there was a voter turnout of between 33 per cent to 45 per cent, so this year let’s see if we can lift that to over 50 per cent or even higher.”
The WA Electoral Commission last week began distributing postal voting packages to eligible voters in the State. Electoral Commissioner David Kerslake also urged residents to have their say.
“We already have a record number of candidates, and we hope to see that level of interest flow through to the number of votes recorded”, Mr Kerslake said.
Mr Kerslake reminded electors that ballot papers must be received by Saturday 21 October and to make sure they sign the certificate on their ballot paper envelope.
Electors have good range of options when considering who will best represent their views on Council.
- Gary Evershed, Shire CEO
“When ballot material is returned we will detach the certificates from each envelope to preserve the secrecy of every vote”, he said.
For the first time, voters will not be restricted to certain candidates as the Shire shifted to a no-wards system.
Successful candidates will hold a seat for a four year term, joining current councillors Mike Smart, Peter Lane and Pam Townshend.
Mr Evershed said he was pleased at the number of nominees for this year’s election and said there was a good mix of backgrounds, representative of a region such as Augusta Margaret River.
“It’s always fantastic to see a contested election,” he said.
“The candidates have wide and varied backgrounds and local electors have good range of options when considering who will best represent their views on Council.”
The newly formed council will elect a Shire President and Deputy President at a special meeting on October 25, following in a swearing in ceremony.
View the candidate profiles:
Nicky Lefebvre
I am a journalist, photographer and content creator based in the beautiful Margaret River wine region, covering all aspects of our community including local news, sport, entertainment and events, as well as providing a platform for our readers to share their voices direct from regional Australia.
I am a journalist, photographer and content creator based in the beautiful Margaret River wine region, covering all aspects of our community including local news, sport, entertainment and events, as well as providing a platform for our readers to share their voices direct from regional Australia.
