Have you ever wondered about the order of groups and names on ballot papers? The order is all in the luck of the draw! What do we mean by that? Well before every state election the NSW Electoral Commission conducts two draws for the order of groups and ungrouped election candidates to determine where they will all be placed on the ballot paper. This means one draw for groups to appear left to right (starting with group A). The second draw is for ungrouped candidates who appear further to the right on the ballot paper to determine the order top to bottom.
You may be pondering why are left and top positions preferable on the ballot paper? The reason is because people usually read from left to right and top to bottom. This means the groups to the left and the candidates at the top of the list will be noticed first and potentially may receive more votes.
Example of Legislative Council ballot paper
So don’t miss out on these important draws for ballot paper prime real estate for the Legislative Council candidates. Who can attend this important draw you ask? Candidates or their representatives; registered political parties; the media and any member of the public are all welcome to attend the draw.
The Legislative Council election candidate draw will take place on Thursday, 7 March, 10am, at Portside Centre, level 6, 207 Kent Street, Sydney (which is next to the NSW Electoral Commission head office). Be there to see where the candidates stand on the ballot field.