Figures from the Tasmanian Electoral Commission show that Hobart voters are trailing behind the 29 Council areas in returning their ballot papers for local government elections. This weekend is the half way point of the two week election period for local government elections.
There are 37,624 people enrolled to vote in the Hobart City Council elections, but as of Friday 17 October, only 3,639 people have voted. So far, that’s just 9.7% of eligible voters who have returned their ballot papers.
At this stage, Hobart is further behind the regional or state average for postal vote returns than any other council area in Tasmania.
Anna Reynolds, candidate for Alderman for the Hobart City Council, urged Hobart voters to get moving and return their ballot papers, or miss an opportunity to have a say on Hobart’s future.
“This election will put a team in place that will lead the city for the next 4 years. It’s crucial that Hobartians have their say on their next Council.”
“The 2011 election had a turnout of 49.4% of eligible voters returning their ballots. We still have a long way to go to achieve even this level of engagement. Surely we can do better this time,”said Ms Reynolds.
“There are so many ways that Hobart City Council can improve life in our city, but unless the right team is in place we will get poor results for the community,” said Ms Reynolds.
Source http://www.tec.tas.gov.au/LocalGovernmentElections2014/LGElectionDailyReturns.html
Anna Reynolds – www.annareynolds.org
