The federal by-election for the electoral division of Eden-Monaro in New South Wales will be held on Saturday, 4 July, 2020.
The first election since Scott Morrison’s win, traditionally Eden-Monaro was the bellwether seat for the nation. That meant that whichever way the fickle voters of the NSW south coast voted, the country would too.
That hasn’t held true in recent years, but the seat is still of intense interest, as it was one of the hardest hit by the bushfire crisis over summer, and there are many people living in the region still in desperate need of help, especially after COVID-19 dealt a second blow to the important tourism sector.
The departure of popular Labor MP Mike Kelly has created a hot space into which high profile Liberal and National contenders have already tried to enter, with both being burned.
Voters need to enrol and update details
The Australian Electoral Commission sent out a press release this morning announcing the date. The Australian Electoral Commission Officer for New South Wales, Warwick Austin, said that people should act now to ensure their enrolment details are up to date by 8pm on Thursday 4 June 2020.
‘If you are temporarily displaced from your enrolled address due to the recent bushfires, you can remain enrolled at that address,’ said Mr Austin.
‘If the recent bushfires have caused you to move residence to what you would consider to be a permanent new arrangement, then you should update your enrolment prior to the close of rolls for the by-election.’
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AEC has introduced measures for this by-election to comply with the advice of health authorities.
Mr Austin said that the health and safety of Eden-Monaro voters had been at the forefront of by-election preparation.
‘People who cast their vote in-person will notice a different voting experience to what they may have encountered in the past with a number of social distancing and hygiene measures to be implemented,’ he said.
You can enrol, or update or check your enrolment details online, at www.aec.gov.au.
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