VOTERS from right across the Tamworth Regional Council area made the scramble on Friday afternoon as pre-poll voting drew to a close.
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The Tamworth returning office on Peel St was abuzz with action, as voters ran the gauntlet with candidates lining the footpaths leading into the polling centre.
In the lead up to Friday, NSW Electoral Commission officials said pre-poll numbers were tracking below projections.
Only 7109 of Tamworth’s 43,338 enrolled voters had pre-polled at the Peel St returning office.
A mere 5510 had voted by Tuesday evening, leading to the electoral commission urging residents to get out and and their vote in to avoid a fine.
Over 11,600 people have pre-poll voted in the Tamworth Regional Council area
- Tamworth returning officer Jodie McKenna
Tamworth returning officer, Jodie McKenna, said Friday was easily the biggest day at the pre-poll centre.
By 4pm on Friday, 2185 voters had trundled in to get their compulsory vote done and dusted.
By that point, over 11,600 people had issued their early vote, across all of the pre-poll stations, including Manilla, Nundle and Barraba branch offices.
Projections from before this year’s council election had estimated there would be 13,000 residents submitting an early for Tamworth.
Jacob McArthur
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
