The push of a button will reveal the final results in the Dubbo Regional Council election.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The first preference votes across the five wards have all been counted. Each candidate needs to reach a quota to be elected, determined by the number of formal votes in the ward and the number of candidates.
After the first preference votes had been counted five candidates had reached the quota: John Ryan, Dayne Gumley, Ben Shields, Jane Diffey and Greg Mohr. Kevin Parker was 16 votes off, while Stephen Lawrence needed another 48.
For the following candidates to reach their quota, it turns to preferences.
Local election analyst Peter Bartley said the votes were all currently at the Orange Count Centre to be checked and logged into the NSW Electoral Commission computer.
“The votes computer will transfer the surplus of each candidate who has already reached a quota and then exclude in order, progressively, the candidates with the lowest number of votes until the two highest remain,” he said.
In the coming days the candidates would be invited into the Dubbo Returning Office to see Fiona Prentice push the button on the computer that will calculate the outcome and reveal the results, Mr Bartley said.
Not all those who voted did so in Dubbo. There were 33 people from the local government area who voted in Sydney Town Hall on Saturday. The highest number came from the North Ward at 12, followed by the Wellington Ward at 11.
There were also 13,285 people who pre-polled before the election and another 1004 who sent postal votes.
Those in North Ward were the most likely to pre-poll. There were 2983 votes in the ward before the election, followed by South Ward at 2954. Meanwhile, the highest number of postal votes came from the Wellington Ward at 275.
The next step for the future councillors will be for a mayor to be elected, which is done among themselves. Former councillor Kevin Parker has said he’s interested in the role. Mr Ryan, Ms Diffey and Mr Mohr have all said they would consider it.