Elections

Local Government Elections – now postponed to Saturday 4 December 2021. 

The date of the next ordinary local government elections is now 4 December 2021 

The decision to postpone the elections followed advice from NSW health in regards to the current COVID-19 situation in NSW.

Voting Eligibility
If you have the right to vote in federal or State elections, you also have the right to be enrolled as an elector at a local government election in the ward or council area you live in. When you enrol to vote, you will automatically be included on the residential roll for the ward or council area you live in. You must vote in local government elections in the ward or council area you live in.

Check if you can vote
If you're a resident in the Blue Mountains local government area you can check if your enrolment details are up to date with the Australian Electoral Commission: check.aec.gov.au. You must enter your details exactly as they appear on the electoral roll.

Non-residential enrolment for local government elections

Voting as a non-resident in a ward or council area
You are eligible to vote as a non-resident in a ward or council area if you are:

• an owner of rateable land in the ward or council area 
• an occupier or rate-paying lessee of rateable land in the ward or council area.

Non-residential rolls are prepared and certified by each council's general manager, and the NSW Electoral Commissioner must confirm that the voters listed are eligible for enrolment on the non-residential roll. However, you are responsible for checking that you are eligible for inclusion in the non-residential roll for a council or ward when you make an application. Please visit the NSW Electoral Commission for full details on how to vote as a non-resident:
www.elections.nsw.gov.au/Voters/Enrol-to-vote/How-to-enrol/Non-residential-enrolment

To access a Non- Residential Roll Application Form for the Blue Mountains Local Government Area please download here:

LG.127N Non-residential Roll Nominee Application
LG.127I Non-residential Roll Individual Application

Councillors

Councillors are elected for 4 years.

Although the number of councillors to be elected varies from council to council, each council is made up of between 5 and 15 councillors (one of whom is the Mayor).

Voters rank candidates in order of preference, and where there are 2 or more positions to be filled, a candidate needs to achieve a quota of the votes to be elected.

Mayor

As a general rule the councillors elect one of their number to be the Mayor. A Mayor elected by the other councillors serves a two year term.

After each Local Government election, the Division of Local Government surveys all councils. A report on the findings provides information about the representation of the community on local councils. As well as describing the characteristics of councillors and candidates such as gender, age and experience, the report identifies trends over time.

Legislation

Councils work within laws established by the NSW Parliament. The Local Government Act 1993 NSW (the Act) sets out the major powers, functions and responsibilities of councils based on modern community expectations. The Act gives NSW councils broad powers to independently plan for and manage local community services and facilities in consultation with their local community.

Councils have a legal obligation to provide services under Section 8 of the Act, called “The council’s charter”.

About Blue Mountains City Council

To assist you in making a well informed and considered decision about whether to stand for election as a councillor, see the Council section of the website.

NSW Electoral Commission Candidate seminars & help 

Visit the NSWEC website, https://www.elections.nsw.gov.au, for information on and contact details about:
•    The election timetable; 
•    Expenditure and political donations; 
•    How candidates are nominated; and 
•    The nomination period 

Candidate enquiries should be directed to: 
•    The NSW Electoral Commission candidate helpdesk telephone 1300 022 011, or 
•    Email candidates@elections.nsw.gov.au, or 
•    Visit the NSW Electoral Commission website: https://www.elections.nsw.gov.au 

NSWEC Candidate Information Webinars and Handbook 

A series of online candidate information sessions will be conducted by the NSW Electoral Commission (NSWEC) in the lead up to the 2021 NSW Local Government elections.

The webinars will be held from April to August 2021 and will cover the following topics:
•    Election overview
•    Election funding and disclosure
•    Registration of candidates, groups, and third-party campaigners
•    Electoral material (also known as how-to-vote material)
•    Nomination process
•    Early voting and election day voting
•    Candidate workers and scrutineers
•    Counting and results

You will find a recording of Candidate webinars at: https://elections.nsw.gov.au/Political-participants/Candidates-and-groups/Candidate-nominations-for-local-elections/Six-steps-to-being-a-candidate#webinars2 

The Candidate handbook can be found on the NSWEC website or by clicking the link below:
https://www.elections.nsw.gov.au/Political-participants/Candidates-and-groups/Candidate-nominations-for-local-elections/Six-steps-to-being-a-candidate

If you as a candidate have questions about the process or candidates’ obligations, please contact the NSWEC Candidates Team on 1300 022 011.

Community Land for Street Stalls for Political Purposes  

The BMCC Policy on Local Approvals, section 68 Item D1 refers to the use of Community Land for Street Stalls for Political Purposes. It exempts the need for approval for a street stall for political purposes, but requires that the following criteria are met for the stall:

• It must not within 5 metres of a bus stop, pedestrian crossing, taxi stand or intersection.
• Only one table 2 metres x 1 metre to be used.
• No more than three representatives to be in attendance at any one time.
• No fund raising activities are to be carried out.
• If located outside any shop must have the permission of the shop owner.
• Not to include a public address system or the like nor cause offensive noise.
• The organisation conducting the stall must display a sign on the stall, not on the footpath, indicating its name. No other signage will be permitted.
• The stall must not obstruct or inconvenience pedestrian or vehicular traffic. A 2.5 metre wide unobstructed section of footpath is to be maintained at all times.
• All litter and excess or discarded material (e.g., handouts, flyers etc) shall be collected and appropriately disposed of.

Any variation to the above criteria will require Council consent.
Political signs for election campaigns are regulated under the State Environmental Planning Policy No.64: Advertising and Signage.