COMMENT by KIERAN FINNANE
As of last Saturday, 2398 people had voted at the early polling centre in Alice Springs, according to figures released today by the NT Electoral Commission.
This is equivalent to one quarter of the formal votes cast in the 2012 council election.
That’s a lot of people voting before the campaign is fully fledged, a situation which is likely to favour incumbents and high profile candidates over the fresh faces coming forward. Some of them are highly credible candidates but they need time to make themselves and their platforms known to the community.
Early voters will have missed out too on taking into consideration anything emerging in this last week, for instance, from tonight’s forum for candidates organised by Tourism Central Australia and the Chamber of Commerce.
Early polling, which began on 14 August, also ties up candidates and supporters at the polling centre, handing out how-to-votes, rather than getting out and about in the community.
No doubt designed to maximise the number of votes cast, extended early polling acts against those votes being fully informed.
COUNCIL CANDIDATES in Alice Springs News Online (in order of publication):
27-year-old stands for council
(Joshua Burgoyne)
Alice council heading for Donald Trump style dynasty?
(Joshua Burgoyne)
Murray Stewart seeks come-back to town council
Environmentalist stands for Mayor, Councillor
(Jimmy Cocking)
Hostel for kids, healing a split town: candidate’s vision
(Donna Lemon)
Youth crime, flooding on Glen Auricht’s council agenda
Fresh eyes on his adopted home: candidate John Paul Sirus
Bridging gap between council and coalface: John Adams
‘Put community in the driving seat’: candidate Donna Digby
‘Room to move’ on environment: Greens council candidate
(Jodi Lennox)
Jenni Lillis: A council beyond rates, roads and rubbish
Candidate Marli Banks: less talk, more action
Flood report: a trickle, not a banker
(Jimmy Cocking, Mayor Damien Ryan)
Unpredictable, unaligned and undaunted: Cr Eli Melky
Surprising conservative on council: Jacinta Price
Thursday, April 25, 2024
The freedom of the press still furnishes that check upon government which no constitution has ever been able to provide – Chicago Tribune.
