2015 Local Government Ordinary Elections Election Report April 2016 W ESTERN AUSTRALIAN Electoral Commission Foreword At the October 2015 local government ordinary elections, the Western Australian Electoral Commission was contracted to manage the largest number of postal elections it had ever conducted. In addition to six in person elections, the Commission was asked to run 82 postal elections under the Local Government Act 1995. With voting in local government elections being non-compulsory in Western Australia, postal elections typically result in a higher participation rate by eligible electors than in person ballots, as they offer most electors greater convenience and accessibility. Making the Electoral Commissioner responsible for these elections also enables local government CEOs and staff to remain at arms-length from potentially contentious aspects of the electoral process. Since they were first trialled in 1995, the number of local governments adopting postal elections has progressively increased. The local governments deciding to conduct a postal election in 2015 comprised some 1,433,575 electors, which is about 98% of the State’s total number of eligible electors. At the close of nominations, 964 candidates had nominated for 419 vacancies resulting in 75 separate postal elections. The highest participation rate for postal elections, both for country and metropolitan local governments in 2015 was the Shire of Mt Marshall with 82.7% and the City of Perth with 37.8%, with an overall Statewide participation rate of 27.5%. I would like to acknowledge the efforts of all returning officers and Commission staff in the planning and conduct of the 2015 ordinary elections and each of the local governments for the assistance and cooperation provided by their staff. David Kerslake ELECTORAL COMMISSIONER 14 April 2016 Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................. 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 5 ELECTION TIMETABLE .................................................................................................................. 5 Key Events ....................................................................................................................................... 5 RETURNING OFFICERS AND STAFF ............................................................................................ 6 Returning Officers ........................................................................................................................... 6 Administrative Staff ........................................................................................................................ 6 ADVERTISING ................................................................................................................................. 6 Statutory Advertising ..................................................................................................................... 6 Supplementary Statutory Advertising .......................................................................................... 6 Campaign Advertising .................................................................................................................... 7 The Commission’s Website ........................................................................................................... 7 ELECTORAL ROLLS ....................................................................................................................... 8 Close of the Roll .............................................................................................................................. 8 Electronic Rolls ............................................................................................................................... 8 Privacy ............................................................................................................................................. 8 ELECTION MATERIAL .................................................................................................................... 8 Manuals ............................................................................................................................................ 8 Candidate Information CD .............................................................................................................. 8 NOMINATIONS ................................................................................................................................ 9 Candidates ....................................................................................................................................... 9 The Nominations Process .............................................................................................................. 9 Candidate Profiles .......................................................................................................................... 9 Gender of Candidates ..................................................................................................................... 9 Age of Candidates ........................................................................................................................ 10 Unopposed and Uncontested Wards .......................................................................................... 10 COMPLAINTS ................................................................................................................................ 10 Invalidity Complaint ...................................................................................................................... 11 ELECTION PACKAGES ................................................................................................................ 11 Design ............................................................................................................................................ 11 Ballot Paper(s) and Candidate Profiles ....................................................................................... 11 Postal Vote Information ................................................................................................................ 11 ENVELOPES .................................................................................................................................. 12 Election Package Dispatch .......................................................................................................... 12 Dispatch and Return Period ......................................................................................................... 13 REPLACEMENT, PROVISIONAL AND ABSENT VOTING ........................................................... 13 Replacement Voting ..................................................................................................................... 13 Provisional Voting ........................................................................................................................ 13 Absent Voting ................................................................................................................................ 13 RETURN OF PACKAGES .............................................................................................................. 14 Postal Vote Checking Centre ....................................................................................................... 14 Election Management System ..................................................................................................... 14 Return of Packages ...................................................................................................................... 14 Checking Process ......................................................................................................................... 15 Candidates and Scrutineers ........................................................................................................ 15 Change of Details .......................................................................................................................... 15 Rejected Packages ....................................................................................................................... 15 Dispatch of Ballot Boxes to Counting Centres ...................................................................... 16 ELECTION DAY ............................................................................................................................. 16 Polling Places ................................................................................................................................ 16 Packages Processed on Election Day ........................................................................................ 16 Counting of the Votes ................................................................................................................... 16 RESULTS ....................................................................................................................................... 17 Sitting Members ............................................................................................................................ 17 Candidate Statistics ...................................................................................................................... 18 PARTICIPATION ...........................................................................................................................