Pre-poll voting for next month’s federal election opened in Bathurst yesterday.
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Eligible people will be able to cast their votes prior to the July 2 election in the former Clancy Motors building in Howick Street.
Calare divisional returning officer Dimity McKenzie said the location was chosen for its proximity to the CBD and the fact it has plenty of on-street parking.
The property was also available for short-term lease.
She said there will be a flexible workforce manning the pre-poll booth, starting with four or five officers. This number will expand as the election draws closer.
There will be four pre-poll booths in the electorate of Calare, including one in Bathurst and one in Orange.
Ms McKenzie said pre-poll voting is not about convenience; voters must meet certain criteria.
She said people can vote early if, on election day, they will be unable to attend a polling place because they will be outside the electorate in which they are enrolled to vote, if they will be more than eight kilometres from a polling place, if they can’t leave their workplace, or if they are travelling.
It is also possible to pre-poll vote if a person is infirm or due to give birth or is caring for someone who is, if they are a patient in a hospital and can’t vote at the hospital or if their religious beliefs prevent them from attending a booth on polling day.
Ms McKenzie said people are also eligible to pre-poll vote if they are in prison serving a sentence of less than three years or otherwise detained, if they are a silent elector, or if they have a reasonable fear for their safety.
“You often see a large number of people pre-polling in Bathurst,” Ms McKenzie said.
There will be 84 polling places spread across the Calare electorate on election day.
It is compulsory to vote in the federal election.
The pre-poll booth in Howick Street will be open today, tomorrow and Friday from 8.30am to 5.30pm.
Next week it will be open from 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Thursday, from 8.30am to 6pm on Friday and between 9am and 4pm on Saturday, June 25.
The pre-boll booth will be open from 8.30am to 5.30pm on Monday and Tuesday, June 27 and 28, 8.30am to 6pm on Wednesday, June 29, 8.30am to 8pm on Thursday, June 30 and 8.30am to 6pm on Friday, July 1.
Information on opening times and pre-polling eligibility can be found at www.aec.gov.au.