Failure to vote notices issued after Port Macquarie by-election

FAILURE to vote notices will be issued this week to electors who appear not to have voted at the Port Macquarie by-election on Saturday, 15 March.

NSW Electoral Commissioner Rachel McCallum encourages recipients of these notices to respond via the Electoral Commission’s online self-service portal.

“The NSW Electoral Commissioner is required by law to issue notices to those electors who appear not to have voted, within three months of an election.

“The ‘Apparent failure to vote’ notices for Port Macquarie provide recipients with a chance to explain why they didn’t vote or to advise if they did vote and provide details about that to us.

“Voters can also call the Electoral Commission on 1300 135 736 if they have concerns about being able to respond to the notice, such as if they have been impacted by recent extreme weather events,” she said.

If a person considers they have a sufficient reason for not voting, they will need to advise the NSW Electoral Commissioner in writing, preferably via the non-voter self-service online portal at elections.nsw.gov.au.

Reasons are assessed on a case-by-case basis, but being unaware there was an election on is not considered a sufficient reason for not voting and the Electoral Commissioner is unable to excuse a failure to vote notice for that reason.

“We encourage everyone to follow the instructions on the notice and, if they do believe they should be excused, provide as much detail as possible to explain your circumstances,” said Ms McCallum.