Council elections
Every four years the community has the opportunity to vote for councillors who will represent them and make decisions on their behalf.
The next local government elections are scheduled for Saturday 14 September 2024. Voting is compulsory.
The Murrumbidgee Local Government Area is represented by 9 councillors who come from 3 different wards (parts of the council area). The 3 wards are:
- Jerilderie
- Murrumbidgee East (centred around Coleambally)
- Murrumbidgee (centred around Darlington Point)
The Mayor and Deputy Mayor are chosen by the councillors themselves.
All aspects of the election are administered by the NSW Electoral Commission (NSWEC).
Nominating as a candidate
Nominations can be lodged from 8:00 am on Monday 5 August 2024 to 12:00 noon on Wednesday 14 August 2024. Find out more on the NSW Electoral Commission website. You can prepare and save your nomination form beforehand and be ready to lodge your nomination on Monday 5 August.
Councillors are elected by their local community to represent community views on the Council, provide leadership and ensure local needs are met.
They achieve this by directing the council's affairs, allocating resources for the benefit of the local area, developing policies and reviewing the council's performance in relation to how it is delivering services and other matters.
Being a councillor can be rewarding because it provides an opportunity to:
- make decisions that help people within the local community
- influence the long-term, strategic direction of a local community
- learn new skills such as public speaking and advocacy
- work with a broad cross-section of the community on a diverse range of issues
The NSWEC has lots of resources available for people considering nominating for their local council. This includes a series of online candidate information sessions. The webinars are recorded and placed on the NSWEC website.
The webinars 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
Ways you can find out more information about being a candidate
- Visit www.elections.nsw.gov.au
- Visit the Office of Local Government website
- Email the candidate helpdesk candidates@elections.nsw.gov.au
- Call the candidate helpdesk 1300 022 011.
- If you are deaf, hard of hearing and/or have a speech impairment, please contact the NSW Electoral Commission through the National Relay Service (NRS) on 1800 555 660. Choose your access option and ask for 1300 135 736.
- If you need an interpreter, please call TIS National on 131 450 and ask them to call the NSW Electoral Commission on 1300 135 736
Voting in the elections
Voting in local government elections is compulsory and you may receive a fine for not voting.
Voting, including postal vote applications, is managed by the NSW Electoral Commission.
Options for voting include pre-polling, postal and in-person voting options.
Postal votes are available to voters from all states in Australia.
View this link to check which council area and ward you are in.
Applying to vote as a non-resident
You are eligible to vote as a non-resident in a ward or council area if you are either an owner of rateable land in the ward or council area or an occupier or rate-paying lessee of rateable land in the ward or council area.
You are responsible for checking that you are eligible for inclusion in the non-residential roll for a council or ward when you apply. We recommend you get independent advice if you are unsure whether you are eligible to apply or not.
Non-residential rolls are prepared and certified by the General Manager of Murrumbidgee Council.
If you are eligible to vote as a non-resident in the Murrumbidgee Local Government Area, you can complete one of these forms:
Applications can be hand-delivered to any of our council offices, posted to PO Box 5 Darlington Point NSW 2706 or sent to mail@murrumbidgee.nsw.gov.au.
The non-residential rolls close at 6:00 pm on Monday 5 August 2024.