People who are considering running for local government elections in September 2021 are urged to consult the NSW Electoral Commission (NSWEC) website at www.elections.nsw.gov.au for information to become informed on candidate guidelines. Potential candidates should also be encouraged to contact the NSWEC via email candidates@elections.nsw.gov.au or phone the Candidate Helpdesk 1300 022 011.
The nomination process, the electoral laws that candidates must comply with and the ongoing obligations of councillors to make disclosures about electoral funding are administered by the NSW Electoral Commission. Non-compliance with or mistakes about these responsibilities may mean political participants miss out on running in an election and/or find themselves facing significant enforcement action, such as fines.
Potential candidates are urged to consult with the NSWEC to get a full understanding of the processes, their obligations in relation to nomination and other laws that apply to candidates. Although the NSWEC cannot give legal advice about a person’s specific circumstances the candidate can speak to an officer via the Helpdesk.
The NSWEC is planning to run a series of candidate webinars in the coming months, which will also be recorded and loaded onto the website, alongside other election-focused material. Candidates should find these both useful and informative.
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