Agenda of Council Meeting - 10 September 2019

Council Meeting

10 September 2019

Item No: C0919(1) Item 1

Subject: Election of Mayor and Deputy Mayor

Prepared By: Ian Naylor - Manager Civic Governance

Authorised By: Nellette Kettle - Group Manager Customer Service & Civic Governance

RECOMMENDATION

THAT Council determine the method for voting and conduct the election of Mayor and Deputy Mayor.

DISCUSSION

The procedure for the conduct of the Mayoral and Deputy Mayor election is as follows:-

PROCEDURES FOR MAYORAL ELECTION

1. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) indicates that the election will be conducted under the provisions of the Local Government Act and Regulations. It is necessary for the Council to determine the method of voting to be used for the election of Mayor and Deputy

Mayor.

Under paragraph three of the Regulations it states:

2. If only one Councillor is nominated that Councillor is elected.

3. If more than one Councillor is nominated, Council is to resolve whether the

election is to proceed by;

a) preferential ballot

b) ordinary ballot

c) open voting

Traditionally, councils conduct elections for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor by open voting. If Council decides to conduct the election by preferential or ordinary ballot, then the CEO will conduct the election as outlined in the Regulations below.

4. Council determines the method of voting.

5. CEO calls for nominations for Mayor.

a) A Councillor may be nominated without notice for election as Mayor or

Deputy Mayor.

b) The nomination is to be made in writing by 2 or more Councillors (one of

whom may be the nominee). The nomination is not valid unless the

nominee has indicated consent to the nomination in writing.

c) The nomination to be delivered or sent to the Returning Officer (CEO) prior to the

commencement of the Meeting.

d) The Returning Officer (CEO) is to announce the names of the nominees at the meeting.

e) If only two nominations are received, then voting is conducted as resolved and the Returning Officer declares the winner. If voting is tied, the one elected is to be chosen by lot.

f) If more than two nominations, voting is conducted as resolved and the Returning Officer eliminates the person with the smallest number of votes until there is a

winner. If voting it tied, the one elected is to be chosen by lot.

g) Mayor takes up his or her seat. Mayor normally asks the CEO to conduct the election of Deputy Mayor.

h) CEO then conducts the voting for Deputy Mayor in the same way as above, ie. call for nominations, voting, declare result.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT (GENERAL) REGULATION 2005 - SCHEDULE 7

SCHEDULE 7 – Election of mayor by councillors

(Clause 394)

Part 1 - Preliminary

1 Returning officer

The CEO (or a person appointed by the CEO) is the returning officer.

2 Nomination

(1) A councillor may be nominated without notice for election as mayor or deputy mayor.

(2) The nomination is to be made in writing by 2 or more councillors (one of whom may be the nominee). The nomination is not valid unless the nominee has indicated consent to the nomination in writing.

(3) The nomination is to be delivered or sent to the returning officer.

(4) The returning officer is to announce the names of the nominees at the council meeting at which the election is to be held.

3 Election

(1) If only one councillor is nominated, that councillor is elected.

(2) If more than one councillor is nominated, the council is to resolve whether the election is to proceed by preferential ballot, by ordinary ballot or by open voting.

(3) The election is to be held at the council meeting at which the council resolves on the method of voting.

(4) In this clause:

"ballot" has its normal meaning of secret ballot.

"open voting" means voting by a show of hands or similar means.

Part 2 - Ordinary ballot or open voting

4 Application of Part

This Part applies if the election proceeds by ordinary ballot or by open voting.

5 Marking of ballot-papers

(1) If the election proceeds by ordinary ballot, the returning officer is to decide the manner in which votes are to be marked on the ballot-papers.

(2) The formality of a ballot-paper under this Part must be determined in accordance with clause 345 (1) (b) and (c) and (6) of this Regulation as if it were a ballot-paper referred to in that clause.

(3) An informal ballot-paper must be rejected at the count.

6 Count-2 candidates

(1) If there are only 2 candidates, the candidate with the higher number of votes is elected.

(2) If there are only 2 candidates and they are tied, the one elected is to be chosen by lot.

7 Count-3 or more candidates

(1) If there are 3 or more candidates, the one with the lowest number of votes is to be excluded.

(2) If 3 or more candidates then remain, a further vote is to be taken of those candidates and the one with the lowest number of votes from that further vote is to be excluded.

(3) If, after that, 3 or more candidates still remain, the procedure set out in subclause (2) is to be repeated until only 2 candidates remain.

(4) A further vote is to be taken of the 2 remaining candidates.

(5) Clause 6 of this Schedule then applies to the determination of the election as if the 2 remaining candidates had been the only candidates.

(6) If at any stage during a count under subclause (1) or (2), 2 or more candidates are tied on the lowest number of votes, the one excluded is to be chosen by lot.

Part 3 - Preferential ballot

8 Application of Part

This Part applies if the election proceeds by preferential ballot.

9 Ballot-papers and voting

(1) The ballot-papers are to contain the names of all the candidates. The councillors are to mark their votes by placing the numbers “1”, “2” and so on against the various names so as to indicate the order of their preference for all the candidates.

(2) The formality of a ballot-paper under this Part is to be determined in accordance with clause 345 (1) (b) and (c) and (5) of this Regulation as if it were a ballot-paper referred to in that clause.

(3) An informal ballot-paper must be rejected at the count.

10 Count

(1) If a candidate has an absolute majority of first preference votes, that candidate is elected.

(2) If not, the candidate with the lowest number of first preference votes is excluded and the votes on the unexhausted ballot-papers counted to him or her are transferred to the candidates with second preferences on those ballot-papers.

(3) A candidate who then has an absolute majority of votes is elected, but, if no candidate then has an absolute majority of votes, the process of excluding the candidate who has the lowest number of votes and counting each of his or her unexhausted ballot-papers to the candidates remaining in the election next in order of the voter’s preference is repeated until one candidate has received an absolute majority of votes. The latter is elected.

(4) In this clause,
"absolute majority", in relation to votes, means a number that is more than one-half of the number of unexhausted formal ballot-papers.

11 Tied candidates

(1) If, on any count of votes, there are 2 candidates in, or remaining in, the election and the numbers of votes cast for the 2 candidates are equal-the candidate whose name is first chosen by lot is taken to have received an absolute majority of votes and is therefore taken to be elected.

(2) If, on any count of votes, there are 3 or more candidates in, or remaining in, the election and the numbers of votes cast for 2 or more candidates are equal and those candidates are the ones with the lowest number of votes on the count of the votes-the candidate whose name is first chosen by lot is taken to have the lowest number of votes and is therefore excluded.

Part 4 - General

12 Choosing by lot

To choose a candidate by lot, the names of the candidates who have equal numbers of votes are written on similar slips of paper by the returning officer, the slips are folded by the returning officer so as to prevent the names being seen, the slips are mixed and one is drawn at random by the returning officer and the candidate whose name is on the drawn slip is chosen.

13 Result

The result of the election (including the name of the candidate elected as mayor or deputy mayor) is:

(a) to be declared to the councillors at the council meeting at which the election is held by the
returning officer, and

(b) to be delivered or sent to the Director-General and to the Secretary of the Local
Government and Shires Association of New South Wales.

ATTACHMENTS

Nil.