Singleton residents to return to the ballot box for council vote in July

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Singleton residents will return to the polls next month, to vote for a council a second time, after the a court threw out the December results, due to a glitch in online voting.

The by-election has been called for Saturday July 30.

Everyone enrolled to vote in the Singleton Council area as of Monday 20 June will need to vote.

All nine councillors are in contention, though Mayor Sue Moore's position wasn't voided by the Supreme Court decision.

It's understood, all candidates have been or will be reimbursed for the costs of their original campaigns.

Federal prepolling opens in the Hunter

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Hunter residents can now cast their vote early ahead of the Federal Election, with prepoll centres opening across the region from Monday morning until May 21.

People who can vote on the day should hold off at the moment, but if you're not sure if you'll be able to, there's no need to register.

If you're a voter in the electorates of Hunter, Newcastle, Paterson, or Shortland, here's where you can get in early to cast your vote:

• Belmont Scout Hall - 52 Ernest St, Belmont
• Pasterfield Sports Complex - 18C Horizon Ave, Cameron Park 
  
• Cessnock Performing Arts Centre - 198 Vincent St, Cessnock 
  
• 224 Pacific Highway - 224 Pacific Highway, Charlestown
  
• Cooranbong Community Services Centre - 614 Freemans Dr, Cooranbong 
  
• Kurri Kurri Senior Citizens Centre - 132 Barton St, Kurri Kurri 
  
• Living Hope Maitland Church of Christ - cnr Garnett Rd & Mitchell Dr, East Maitland 
  
• Maryland Conference Centre - 207 Maryland Dr, Maryland 
  
• Stan Thiess Memorial Centre - Victoria Park, 173 Hill St, Muswellbrook 
  
• All Saints Church - 25 Church St, Nelson Bay
• 2/239 King Street - 2/239 King Street, Newcastle  
• Raymond Terrace Community Church - 10 Richardson Rd, Raymond Terrace 
  
• Maitland City Salvos - 1A Bunning Ave, Rutherford 
  
• Singleton Youth Venue - cnr Pitt & Bathurst St, Singleton 
• Toronto Amateur Sailing Club Inc - 27 Victory Row, Toronto  

Singleton councillors in doubt after online voting error

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Singleton could be headed back to the polls later this year, after an online voting stuff-up locked out thousands of voters.

The Electoral Commission says the iVote system crashed at the December 4 elections, though the outcome for most councils wouldn't have changed.

But in Singleton, as well as Kempsey and Shellharbour, it's possible things could have turned out differently.

Singleton Mayor Sue Moore says her position is safe, but councillors are understandably concerned.

"Not only anxiety with that, but the cost of what they've already laid out for elections, potentially having to redo that cost again," Cr Moore said.

"Not to mention the cost of council having to pay for another election, effectively meaning ratepayer money paying for another election."

It's understood the Supreme Court will hold a hearing on February 4 to make a decision about whether to call the affected elections void.

But for the time being, Cr Moore says they'll just get on with the job.

"In the meantime, the councillors that we have now have been declared," Cr Moore said.

"We've had induction day, we've got our first meeting on the 1st of February, so we're going to play on unless the court or otherwise tells us."

The Hunter heads to the polls for local government elections

BY DAKOTA TAIT

The Hunter's headed to the polls tomorrow for the latest local government elections. 

If you haven't voted early or in the post, you'll need to visit the ballot box before 6pm tomorrow.

Originally scheduled for September 4, the elections were delayed by three months due to lockdowns and COVID concerns.

There's still time to skip the queue and vote early before 5pm today, but otherwise, most polling places open their doors at 8am tomorrow morning.