Cootamundra residents may be used to above and below the line voting in state and federal politics, however this election marks a first at local level.
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When voters line up at polling booths on Saturday, September 9 they will be able to vote for a group or individual candidates.
There is no shortage of names on the ballot paper with three groups consisting of Dennis Palmer, Ron Magnone, Rosalind Wight, Diane Williams, Michael Kingwill, Jennie Maslin and Peter Batey in one group, while a second group is made up of Doug Phillips, Craig Stewart, Stephen Doidge, Janet McAtear and Ian Armstrong and a final group includes Abb McAlister, David Graham, Peter Gain, Penny Nicholson and Amy Turner.
These groups are joined by individual candidates Gil Kelly, Isabel Scott, Mary Donnelly, Leigh Bowden, James Childs, Konrad Streher, David Harris, Roderick Chalmers, James Slattery, John Stephens and Charlie Sheahan.
A new ballot draw conducted on Tuesday, August 15 after last Friday’s initial draw revealed the order of names.
The draw was re-done after four names were added to the ballot paper after initially being left off due to a paperwork mix-up.
With groups added to the mix, electors can vote above the line on the ballot paper for a group of candidates.
A number '1' for a group records a first preference vote for the first candidate in the group with preferences going to the other candidates in the group in the order in which they are listed.
Preferences then go to the next group, if indicated.
The alternative voters have is to mark squares below the line in order of preference for individual candidates.
To be elected as a councillor, a candidate must gain a quota of the formal votes, which cannot be worked out until the total number of formal first preference votes is known.
Once all the votes are in and counted, Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council will be represented by nine councillors.
