New South Wales Consolidated Acts

ELECTORAL ACT 2017 - SECT 132

132 Method of recording votes

(1) The voter, after receiving a ballot paper, must--

(a) proceed alone into an unoccupied compartment in the voting centre, and

(b) record his or her vote on the ballot paper, and

(c) fold the ballot paper so that the vote cannot be seen, and

(d) without unfolding the ballot paper, deposit it in the ballot box, and

(e) leave the voting centre.

(2) In the case of the election of a member of the Assembly, a voter--

(a) must record his or her vote for at least one candidate by placing the number "1" in the square opposite the name of the candidate for whom he or she desires to give his or her first preference vote, and

(b) may, if he or she wishes, vote for additional candidates by placing consecutive numbers beginning with the number "2" in the squares opposite the names of those additional candidates in the order of his or her preferences for them.

(3) In the case of a periodic Council election, a voter--

(a) must record his or her vote for at least 15 candidates by placing the numbers "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", "7", "8", "9", "10", "11", "12", "13", "14" and "15" in the squares opposite the names of 15 candidates in the order of his or her preferences for them, and

(b) may, if he or she wishes, vote for additional candidates by placing consecutive numbers beginning with the number "16" in the squares opposite the names of those additional candidates in the order of his or her preferences for them.

(4) If the ballot paper in a periodic Council election contains 2 or more group voting squares, the voter--

(a) may record a vote by placing the number "1" in any one of those squares instead of recording a vote in accordance with subsection (3), and

(b) may, if he or she wishes, vote for additional groups of candidates by placing consecutive numbers beginning with the number "2" in the group voting squares above the names of those additional groups of candidates in the order of his or her preferences for them.