It's a reoccurring message around the early polling places at the moment with candidates and their volunteers handing out how to vote cards to those voters getting in early. 

All of the how to vote cards the Daily Liberal obtained, bar one, asked people to put their preferred candidate in the first position and just vote one on the ballot paper for the local electorate. 

The one exception to the rule is when you are voting for Country Labor where voters are asked to put their candidate in the first position, followed by the Greens, an Independnet, Shooters, Fishers and Farmers, Flux, Australian Conservatives and finally The Nationals. 

Without a look at preferences it could make a close election even closer for the electorate, or it could just make it easier for those counting up the papers on election day. 

You don't have to number each square on the local ballot paper (that's the small one). 

According to the NSW electoral commission to cast your vote and make it count you must put a number one in the square next to the candidate you want to elect.

Then, only if you want, you can show more choices by putting a number two next to your second choice, then a number three next to your third choice and so on.

It is up to you how many choices you show after your first preference.

Looking at the other paper (the big one), you can either vote one above the line, or you can vote below the line by choosing at least 15 candidates. You can then vote for more if you like, but 15 will mean your vote is valid. If you want to vote for more than one above the line, you can do that too. But you have to choose above or below. Don't do both. 

While it's all shown to you by the electoral employees when you head along to vote, it's an important thing to know before you head in, just to make sure your vote counts. 

Read more from the NSW electoral commission here. 

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