Media release – Tasmanian Electoral Commission, 16 April 2021
Early voting underway for the 2021 State election and Legislative Council elections
As we move towards the end of the week, over 22,000 Tasmanian electors have participated in early voting processes for the state election.
By the end of Thursday, 6,599 State electors and 834 Legislative Council electors had already voted across seven pre-poll centres.
House of Assembly elections –
Bass: 1,538
Braddon: 1,595
Clark: 1,160
Franklin: 1,170
Lyons: 1,136
Legislative Council elections –
Derwent: 366
Windermere: 468
The TEC has also packed and posted over 15,400 state and 3,100 Legislative Council postal vote packs to electors across the state and to different parts of the country and the world.
Time is running out to apply for a postal vote.
Due to the Australia Post delivery timetable of 3-4 days for a letter to reach any Tasmanian location, electors wanting to apply for a postal vote need to send a postal vote application now for it to be received by the TEC before 4pm Friday 23 April.
“There is not enough time for the TEC to send postal vote applications to electors and for those applications to be returned before the cut-off date.” Electoral Commissioner Andrew Hawkey said. “However, applications and reply-paid envelopes are available at all Tasmanian post offices or an application form can be downloaded and printed from the TEC website. Go to the TEC website for more details.”
Additional pre-poll centres open in final week before polling day
As electors cannot apply for a postal vote in the last week before polling day, the TEC is opening a further eight pre-poll centres from Monday 26 April. They will be:
Bellerive: Clarence Uniting Church, Cnr Cambridge Rd
Glenorchy: St Matthews Church, Cnr Tolosa St and Main Rd
New Norfolk: New Norfolk War Memorial Hall, Circle St
Queenstown: West Coast Community Services Hub, 9-13 Driffield St
Smithton: Smithton Hockey Centre, 51/53 Havelock St
George Town: George Town Memorial Hall, 29-67 Macquarie St
Scottsdale: St Barnabas’ Church Hall, 55 King St
St Helens: St Helens Senior Citizens Rooms, 39 Cecilia St
The election night tally room to go ahead
Through the great assistance of Public Health and the Hotel Grand Chancellor, a COVID-safe tally room will take place on election night.
The tally room will again be held in the Federation Ballroom at the Hotel Grand Chancellor and be open to the public from 6:00 pm with first polling place figures expected after 6:45 pm. As is the Tasmanian tradition, it is hoped that the leaders of the three parliamentary parties will speak at the tally room later in the evening.
Andrew Hawkey said “The public are most welcome to attend however to be admitted individuals will need to adhere to the COVID-safe arrangements to be put in place for the event.”
Full details of the COVID-safe requirements will be made available soon.
