The New South Wales Electoral Commission is a statutory agency with responsibility for the administration, organisation, and supervision of elections in
New South Wales
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, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
. It reports to the
NSW Government
The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governme ...
Department of Premier and Cabinet.
Responsibilities
The NSW Electoral Commission is responsible for the administration, organisation and supervision of elections in New South Wales for state government,
local government
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loc ...
, industrial and
Aboriginal organisations, as well as registered clubs and statutory bodies. It also manages the enrolment of electors and prepares
electoral rolls.
The Commission determines electoral boundaries using a distribution process, which provides for an approximate equal number of electors in each electoral district with a margin of allowance of plus or minus 10% of the average enrolment. The Electoral Commissioner, in conjunction with a Judge of the
Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions ...
and the
Surveyor-General
A surveyor general is an official responsible for government surveying in a specific country or territory. Historically, this would often have been a military appointment, but it is now more likely to be a civilian post.
The following surveyor ge ...
, reviews and considers advice prior to determining electoral boundaries. Electoral boundaries are reviewed after every second election or more frequently, when required under legislation.
History
Until October 2006, the Commission was known as the State Electoral Office.
The Commission was initially responsible for the administration of the ''Parliamentary Electorates and Elections Act 1912.'' The Commission currently administers the ''Electoral Act 2017''.
In March 2022, the NSWEC announced that it would not use the iVote online voting system for the
2023 State Election, following technical glitches during the 2021 NSW Local Government Elections. Advocates for blind and low-vision people in Australia subsequently accused the Commission of unlawful discrimination over the removal of the accessible voting platform.
See also
*
Elections in Australia
Elections in Australia take place periodically to elect the legislature of the Commonwealth of Australia, as well as for each Australian state and territory and for local government councils. Elections in all jurisdictions follow similar princi ...
*
List of New South Wales government agencies
The executive branch of the Government of New South Wales, Australia, is made up of a number of departments, state-owned corporations and other agencies. These are identified in the ''Government Sector Employment Act 2013'' and other legisl ...
References
External links
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Electoral
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...
Electoral commissions in Australia
Government agencies established in 2006
2006 establishments in Australia
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