A simple guide to the 2023 NSW state election
On 25 March, a new generation of the 12-year-old NSW Liberals–National government seeks their fourth term in a brave new political landscape.
It’s that time of the election cycle again.
In exactly 10 weeks’ time, more than 5.5 million voters will decide what the next four years look like for Australia’s most populous state. But if recent trends are to go by, upwards of 40% will have already voted in the week leading up to 25 March.
This guide will break down everything you need to know about the election process, including how to cast your vote and where to get that democracy snag (or whatever your preferred post-voting snack).
Check your enrolment
You’ve probably been seeing ads from the NSW Electoral Commission telling you to do this. This means ensuring you are enrolled if you are eligible (more than 100 000 people are yet to do so) and making sure your details are up-to-date, which can be easily done from their website. It’s also useful for this election to check whether the redistribution has changed which electoral district you’re enrolled in.
Postal voting
In NSW, postal voting is available for certain people who meet a set eligibility criteria, which include those working on election day. Unless you are a general postal voter, you will need to apply online or by post to receive your ballot paper by mail. Applications will open on 16 January and close on 20 March. Information on how to apply will be available on elections.nsw.gov.au when applications open.
Early voting
Those not able to vote on election day can also choose to vote early, if they meet a similar set eligibility criteria. However, unlike with postal voting, you won’t need to submit an application. A full list of early voting centres or pre-poll venues will be available here closer to 18 March, when the early voting period begins.
Ballot draw
Candidates running for election will be announced at 10 AM on 9 March and a draw then determines the order in which candidates appear on the ballot papers. Familiarising yourself with both the candidates for both the Legislative Assembly (candidates for your electoral district) and those running for the Legislative Council helps you make an informed vote — it’s surprising how few people do this.
The actual voting
Most readers will know that Australia has compulsory voting, which means everyone eligible to vote (mostly includes citizens aged 18 years and over) must do so at this upcoming NSW state election.
But unlike the federal election and the vast majority of elections in other states, NSW uses an optional preferential voting system. This means you can number as many candidates as you like.
It’s important to remember that in Australia your vote cannot be ‘wasted’ if you do not preference a major party candidate first. The optional preferential voting system means that your vote is distributed according to your chosen preferences until they exhaust.
Usually, there are online tools available from major media outlets in the weeks before election day to help prepare you for your vote. There are also ‘how-to-vote’ cards available from candidates, but they only advise on how you may choose to vote and need not be followed.
The NSWEC has published a helpful and detailed guide on what to expect at a voting centre on election day.
And of course, after you cast your vote, you can treat yourself to a democracy sausage (or cake, if that’s your thing). You can check ahead of time where your nearest food stall is at democracysausage.org.
After voting
Counting of the votes begins at 6PM on election day and most news media, including us at nswpol23 on Twitter and Medium, will provide live coverage of the count from then.
A result of who forms government should be expected on Saturday night but is not certain, especially with increasing support for minor party and independent candidates.
The official declaration of results for the Legislative Assembly is expected to be completed on 14 April and that for the Legislative Council on 20 April.
As the election campaign ramps up, we will be providing in-depth coverage on Medium and Twitter. Follow us at nswpol23 to keep up-to-date with the latest in news, opinion and exclusive interviews.
