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The Northern Territory Electoral Commission has partnered with 6 remote councils to deliver extended voting services in the bush for the 2021 Local Government Elections.
Voting services will be available in 37 community service centres prior to election day.
Electoral Commissioner Iain Loganathan said that voter turnout in remote areas for the 2017 local government elections was an abysmal 36 per cent.
“To help improve voter turnout 6 regional councils will offer early voting services at council offices,” Mr Loganathan said.
“Early voting is very popular in urban areas and regional councils have asked for extended voting times in remote communities to give residents more opportunity to vote.
“Arrangements have been made with the 6 regional councils for early voting services to be offered in 37 communities, including large centres such as Maningrida, Wadeye and Galiwinku in the Top End and Hermannsburg and Santa Teresa in Central Australia.”
A total of 102 council staff will be appointed as authorised officers and trained through face-to-face and online sessions so that they can offer voting services at each centre.
“Local government elections are charged on a marginal cost recovery model. It would be expensive and logistically difficult to significantly expand remote voting services in communities without the support of regional councils,” Mr Loganathan said.
“This is the first time that remote council offices will be offering voting services at a major election in the NT. The model does represent some additional risks but the NTEC is working with the councils to mitigate these risks to deliver a quality voting service to remote electors.”
“Council staff will receive the same training as urban staff and the votes will be counted on election night in Alice Springs, Darwin, Katherine and Tennant Creek.
Remote voting teams will still operate throughout the Territory to deliver services to regions where community voting centres (list attached) will not be operating.