Information regarding registration for non-resident ratepayers
If you live outside the Shire (e.g. Canberra) but own or lease land in Eurobodalla, you are eligible to vote in the Eurobodalla council elections on 4 December 2021.
Non-resident ratepayers/lessees have one vote per household.
STEP 1
Make sure you are on the electoral roll.
There is only one electoral roll which is used for Federal, State and Local Government elections. To enrol or check whether you are enrolled go to:
https://aec.gov.au/enrol/ or https://check.aec.gov.au/
STEP 2
Register your intention to vote with the Council.
Registration forms for non-resident voters are now available on the Eurobodalla Shire Council’s website. If you are an individual owner or lessee, then this is the correct form to use. If you share ownership or a lease with other people, then you can nominate just one of the owners or lessees to go on the roll, and this is the correct form to use.
As Eurobodalla Shire is not divided up into wards, you can ignore any of the questions on these generic forms which mention wards.
Please note that the forms on Council’s website are normal PDF files which cannot be edited, and so must be printed out and then manually filled in. However, to assist your registration process, ABE has made editable versions of these forms (which can be electronically filled in). Links to the editable forms for individuals or shared owners/lessees are available immediately below.
Note: Council has advised that electronic signatures are not permissible for non-resident voting registration forms. This means that you will still need to print out the editable forms after filling in the information required. They can then be manually signed and dated by the non-resident ratepayer/lessee and their witness before being despatched to Council by mail, in person or email (after scanning or photographing the completed form to make an email attachment).
Registration forms can be submitted up until 25th October 2021, but it is advisable to get them in well before this date.
STEP 3
Apply to NSW Electoral Commission (NSWEC) for a postal vote.
Non-resident ratepayers can’t submit an absentee vote; they either vote in the Eurobodalla on election day or submit a postal vote.
You can lodge an application for a postal vote from the 26th October, and applications close at 5 PM on Monday 29th November 2021.
STEP 4
VOTE.
If you have applied for a postal vote, the NSWEC will issue you with ballot papers once candidate nominations close on 3rd November 2021.
You need to fill in the ballot papers and get them back to the NSWEC by 6PM on Monday 6th December after election day.
Voting is not hard, but it is important if you want to have a say about where your Council rates are spent and how the shire is managed.
Advice on preferences can be given once all candidates are announced – the main thing now is to register with Council (see Step 2 above)
Key dates for the 2021 Local Government Elections
The NSW Electoral Commissioner is publishing Bulletins to share information about the elections and provide political participants with key information. Key dates for the 2021 NSW local government elections can be found on this NSWEC webpage.
A Better Eurobodalla 