Up to 136 candidates from up to 17 councils in NSW have been affected by missed candidate nominations in what NSW Liberal leader Mark Speakman has described as the "worst act of mismanagement".
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It comes as Liberal president Don Harwin called a crisis meeting to deal with the fallout on August 15 with the state executive.
"It's crucial we understand what occurred and take decisive action to maintain the trust of our members and the public as we prepare for the future," he said.
New analysis from The Tally Room by independent election analysis Ben Raue has calculated 136 missing candidates.
The councils where the Liberals are totally absent from ballots include Blue Mountains, Campbelltown, Cessnock, Lane Cove, Maitland, Northern Beaches, Shoalhaven and Wollongong.
The councils partially affected are Bayside, Camden, Canterbury-Bankstown, Central Coast, Georges River, Hornsby, Newcastle, North Sydney and Penrith.
Mr Raue said it could mean Labor achieving a majority in a number of councils.
"It creates an imbalance in the political landscape because they kind of have left the field," he said.
There are 38 sitting Liberal councillors affected. This includes people who have retired or were planning to run again. It also includes 2 Liberal independents in Shoalhaven who were running as Liberals, but doesn't include the mayor of Lane Cove who successfully nominated as an independent after losing preselection.
The issue is affecting 45 contests, four mayoral elections, one undivided council (Campbelltown) and 40 wards.
Mr Speakman has called for state director Richard Shields to resign.
Mr Speakman described the situation as a "debacle" describing it as the "worst act of mismanagement that I can think of in the organization's history".
He said Mr Shields refused a request to brief MPs at parliament with Mr Speakman later informing him his position was "untenable" and he should now resign.
No Liberal candidates appear on the Electoral Commission website in Cessnock, while there was no Liberal ticket in Newcastle's ward three, where Matt Bailey was endorsed to run.
Local party insiders have confirmed that Wollongong Liberals were among those caught up in the bungle from head office while reports have also identified Shoalhaven as one of the affected councils.
The party's four Wollongong candidates - including Lord Mayoral candidate John Dorahy and long-time serving councillor Cameron Walters - are thought to be among those who have not had their nominations lodged.
The deadline for nominations for the September 14 elections was midday on August 14 however it has emerged the party's secretariat had failed to lodge applications for all candidates.
On August 14, NSW Liberal state director Richard Shields said in a statement that "unfortunately" the party was unable to nominate in all local government areas due to a lack of resourcing.
"The status of nominated Liberal candidates will be communicated upon confirmation from the NSW Electoral Commission," he said.
He apologised to Liberal-endorsed councillors who were not nominated and to the wider party membership in general.
Mr Shields is the mayor of Woollahra council which has been unaffected.
The final list of candidates is expected to be known on Thursday, August 15 ahead of a ballot draw.
Carla Mascarenhas
Carla Mascarenhas is a journalist with Explore Travel and The Senior. She specialises in deep issues affecting Gen X and beyond, and the latest in travel news. Contact her on carla.mascarenhas@austcommunitymedia.com.au
