Count is set to start in SDRC election…

Southern Downs Regional Council voters could know as early as tonight who the successful mayoral candidate is if a clear voting trend is established in the 2020 council election within the first several hours of counting.

Polling booths close at 6pm today – Saturday 28 March – with 25,950 voters on the electoral roll in the region.

Of those between 50 and 60 per cent are understood to have voted using the pre-poll or early voting available over the last several weeks.

Counting of votes will get under way after polling booths across the region close. Results will be communicated progressively to the tally room at the Warwick Town Hall.

The mayoral vote is normally counted first and once a candidate secures 50 per cent of the vote they will be expected to claim victory, although the Electoral Commission of Queensland (ECQ) may not formally ‘declare’ the result until early next week.

Technically the result can be ‘declared’ up to 10 days after election day, depending on how long it takes to complete counting if results are close and a final result is dependent on postal votes.

Voting for the mayoralty is optional-preferential, meaning voters have the option of voting ‘1’ for the candidate of their choice or indicating their preferences from one up to four.

Standing for the mayoralty are serving mayor Tracy Dobie, Vic Pennisi, Peter Kemp and Joe Doepel.

Preferences will be allocated from the two lowest-polling candidates to the two others but if a clear result on first preference votes comes through a preference allocation may not be necessary.

Counting of councillor votes may commence later tonight or tomorrow, Sunday, and is expected to continue into next week, including postal votes.

With 26 councillor candidates it seems unlikely a clear result for the eight successful candidates will be available tonight but trends should start to emerge during Sunday.

Voting for the eight councillors is ‘first-past-the-post’ with voters directed to number 1 through to 8 for their choices, with each of those votes having equal value.

The council election campaign has been overshadowed by the COVID-19 situation, with earlier suggestions that today’s voting should have been postponed or pre-poll voting extended.

• The Free Times will post updates on the count tonight and tomorrow, Sunday – keep an eye on our Facebook page and at www.freetimes.com.au