Yetman residents will continue to vote from their own town in the March state election after the NSW Electoral Commission reversed its decision to close the local polling booth.
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“We can chalk this up as win for good old fashioned people power,” member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall declared, after writing an 'urgent' letter to the NSW Electoral Commission on the matter last Monday.
He said the initial decision would have seen locals taking a 120 kilometre round trip to cast their ballot.
“That would have be grossly unfair, especially given how tough our country communities are doing at the moment, so I’m glad common sense – and many locals – has prevailed and the booth will be reinstated," he said.
Mr Marshall is still pushing for the re-opening of the Croppa Creek, Garah and Wollomombi booths.
“While the news about Yetman is wonderful, I’m going to continue to apply the pressure to the Commission to provide further good news for the other three communities,” he said.
This would be the first time voters in the Croppa Creek, Garah and Wollomombi areas have not had a local pooling booth at a NSW election.
The Commission currently plans to close three booths and open a new one in Gilgai. With three booths already in Inverell, 11 kilometres away, Mr Marshall considers the decision "bizarre and inexplicable".
“I’ve seen some doozies in my time, but this one takes the cake,” Mr Marshall said. He said it was a decision "made by far away city bureaucrats", and must be reversed.
“There is simply no logic and no consistency to this decision.
“In the past, the Commission has looked to close booths that have very small turnout of voters or are very close to another polling booth, but none of these fit that description and in fact the Commission has left open several other booths in the Northern Tablelands which have consistently had smaller turnouts than the four they have slated for closure.
He said the move could result in people from the three communities receiving fines for not travelling the distance to vote, and that he’d already taken dozens of calls from upset locals unsure what they will do.
“We’re simply asking for a fair go from the electoral commission – to ensure everyone in the Northern Tablelands has an equal opportunity to cast their ballot on 23 March, regardless of who they vote for,” he said.
“Leave these booths open and let all people across the Northern Tablelands continue to participate in the democratic process.”
