2024 NSW Local Government elections

The next local government election for Randwick City is scheduled to take place on Saturday 14 September 2024.

Elections are conducted by the NSW Electoral Commission. Use this link for further information.

To see the outcome of the 2021 election or previous elections, visit the NSW Electoral Commission website.

Voting entitlements

A person is entitled to vote at a council election if they are:

at least eighteen years of age and an Australian citizen
a resident of the council's area or a non-resident owner of rateable land or an occupier or ratepaying lessee of rateable land in the council's area.

Each person has only one vote for any council, and voting is compulsory for residents (but not for people on the non-residential roll). If you are unable to vote on election day due to disability, illness or travel you can apply for a postal vote or a pre-poll vote. There is no absentee voting in council elections. Please visit the Electoral Commission website for further information regarding postal and pre-poll voting.

If you need to check your enrolment or update your address, here's the link.

Legal obligations of candidates

It is the responsibility of Councillors seeking re-election and new candidates to familiarise themselves with the legislated responsibilities of candidates and councillors around the election itself, such as nominating and the rules around campaigning.

The nomination process, the electoral laws that candidates must comply with and the ongoing obligations of councillors to make disclosures about electoral funding are administered by the NSW Electoral Commission (NSWEC). Non-compliance with or mistakes about these responsibilities may mean political participants miss out on running in an election and/or find themselves facing significant enforcement action, such as fines.

We would strongly suggest that candidates consult with the NSWEC to get a full understanding of the processes, their obligations in relation to nomination and other laws that apply to candidates. Returning Councillors and candidates should go to the NSWEC’s website at www.elections.nsw.gov.au for more information.

Candidate information

Candidate information webinars

A series of webinars for election participants will also be held in the lead-up to the elections. The webinars will cover the following topics:

candidate information
election funding, disclosures and compliance
nominations
third-party campaigners
electoral material, compliance and voting
candidate workers and scrutineers
counting and results
post-election disclosure obligations.

For more information on becoming a candidate use this link to the NSW Electoral Commission website

Candidate helpdesk

The NSW Electoral Commission provides a helpdesk for candidates to answer questions in relation to their candidature or election processes. The Candidate helpdesk is operational Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and can be contacted by phone on 1300 022 011 or via email at candidates@elections.nsw.gov.au.

Candidate Information Briefing Sessions

Candidate Information Briefing Sessions are also being held for those interested in becoming a Councillor to gain a better understanding of the role and responsibilities as an elected member of Council. These briefing sessions will be held on Tuesday 18th June from 12.30pm to 4pm and 5.30pm to 9pm in the Council Chamber at Randwick Town Hall, 90 Avoca Street Randwick.

At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

Identify the key requirements for becoming a candidate.
Identify the legislated role of a councillor, mayor and as a member of the governing body.
Recognise how the councillor role fits in with other roles and various levels of government.
Address their key expectations and potential challenges in becoming a councillor.
Understand a councillor’s and council role fits in with the local government Integrated Planning and Reporting framework.
Identify key elements of council meetings, code of conduct and conflict of interest.

Non-Residential Roll

People who do not live in the Randwick area but pay rates on a property in this area are entitled to register to be included on the Non-Residential Roll and to vote at the election. Click on the links below to download an application form. These rolls lapse after each election, so even if you have registered for a previous election you will need to register again.

In order to qualify for enrolment on the non-residential roll as a non-resident owner, a person must be an owner or nominated by the owner or owners of rateable land in the area. Rateable land means land that is rateable to an ordinary rate or a special rate, or both.

To be on the roll of non-resident owners of rateable land, you must be:

the sole owner of the rateable land, or
nominated as the elector by the joint or several owners of the rateable land, or
nominated as the elector by the corporation or trustees who own the rateable land, or
the lessee of the land from the Crown and the land is rateable Crown land.

To be on the roll of occupiers and rate-paying lessees, you must be:

the sole occupier or ratepaying lessee of rateable land, or
nominated as the elector by the joint or several occupiers or ratepaying lessees of the rateable land, or
nominated as the elector by the corporation or trustees who occupy or are the ratepaying lessee of the rateable land, and have the legal right to occupy the land, or be responsible for paying all or part of the rates on the land for 3 years following the date you apply to be on the roll.

Forms

Please visit the Electoral Commission website for further information regarding applying for inclusion on the Non-Residential Roll.

Streets by Ward Listing

Visit our ward map to determine what Ward your street is located in, if you live in the Randwick City Council area.

Political Donations

Candidates for the Local Government Elections should familiarise themselves with the Election Funding, Expenditure and Disclosures Act 1981. To assist, the NSW Electoral Commission (Funding, Disclosure & Compliance Branch) has published guidebooks and information on its website.

For more information use this link to the NSW Electoral Commission website.

Postal Voting

If your circumstances make it difficult for you to go to a voting centre on election day, you may be eligible to apply for a postal vote. You can apply if you:

believe that attending a voting centre on election day will place your personal safety or the safety of your family at risk.
will be outside NSW
will be more than 8km from a voting centre on election day
will be travelling and unable to attend a voting centre on election day
have serious illness or condition that prevents you from attending a voting centre on election day
are approaching maternity
have religious membership or beliefs that prevent you from attending a voting centre on election day
are in a correctional centre and prevented from attending a voting centre on election day
are caring for a person outside of a hospital setting, which prevents you from attending a voting centre on election day
will be working on election day
are a silent elector
are a person with a disability

How to apply for a postal vote

You can apply for a postal vote online or by paper form to the NSW Electoral Commission from 6 August 2024. Information about postal voting can be found on their website elections.nsw.gov.au.

You must apply for a postal vote for each election unless you have registered as a general postal voter. General postal voters do not need to apply for a postal vote as they will be sent ballot papers automatically.

Last Updated: 18 June 2024