ANOTHER councillor and election candidate has slammed the idea of the old Commonwealth Bank building potentially being used for pre-polling in September.
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This week, mayor Bobby Bourke revealed that the NSW Electoral Commission had "recommended" that the building at 171 Howick Street be used as the pre-poll venue for the Bathurst council election.
While there's no confirmation this will be the site, the idea alone is causing a stir.
Councillor Warren Aubin has joined Cr Bourke in expressing concern over the impact it could have on businesses, pedestrians and traffic.
Cr Aubin said the electoral commission hadn't "done their homework very well in trying to find a spot", calling the old Commonwealth Bank site "rubbish".
"You've got probably 30 to 40 people who are going to be handing out how to vote cards on a footpath on a busy street; it is just going to cause absolutely mayhem," he said.
"... When I first heard it I thought it was a joke, but it wasn't April 1.
"We need to get a better place than that."
Should 171 Howick Street become the site for pre-polling, he expects that the number of people who present for early voting will drop as they will give up when they can't find a parking spot.
At the last council election, in 2017, more than 10,500 people cast their vote at pre-poll, which represented 45 per cent of the total votes cast.
Cr Aubin said the electoral commission should keep looking for a venue, saying there had to be others more suitable than the former bank.
The old Clancy Motors building, located in Howick Street, was the best option he could come up with, but said there wasn't a shortage of vacant buildings to consider.
"I can't actually see it working down there [at 171 Howick Street]. If they push ahead with it, after one day they'll realise it's mayhem," Cr Aubin said.
"Hopefully it's not set in stone and they can find another place."
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