ARARAT - Ararat Rural City Council quashed a recommendation to have the November local government election ballot paper count take place in Ballarat.
The Victorian Electoral Commission advised that the University of Ballarat in Mount Helen was the counting place for Ararat's ballot papers.
To allow the computer count to happen in Ballarat, Council was required to pass a resolution.
The Victorian Electoral Commission conducts the elections and council is required to conform with Local Government (Electoral) Regulations 2005. Regulation 93 of the Local Government (Electoral) Regulations 2005 prescribes general counting provisions.
The returning officer must designate a place or places in the municipal district to be counting places at which ballot-papers used in an election are to be counted. Regulation 93 (2) states the returning officer may designate a place outside the municipal district of the Council to be the counting place if the Council passes a resolution allowing the returning officer to designate that place as a counting place.
Cr Gwenda Allgood spoke against the recommendation to hold the count in Ballarat and instead recommended that Council write to the Victorian Electoral Commission requesting that the Council Election counting of the votes take place in Ararat.
Cr Allgood said she saw this next election, and every election, as very important to the people of Ararat and very important to councillors.
"I know I wait and see exactly what the results are going to be and how the count is going,'' she said.
"I just think it's important we have these things in Ararat, it's to our community's interest to do it.
"I just think that it is a local election and why can't a local election be held in local government area where that election is happening - why do we have to take it to Ballarat, and surely to goodness the computer system we had here before is just as good as what they can provide in Ballarat. I don't see any sense whatsoever in holding it there at all.''
Cr Ian Wilson endorsed Cr Allgood's comments.
"Local government is really the level of government for the local people and the local community and I think every member of this council is there to represent their community and do it to the best of their ability and I am sure any candidate in this election will have that belief as well,'' he said.
"I think having the actual counting of votes within the municipality as the act allows for does allow people to fully engage in democratic process at a local level.''
Council will conduct a special meeting tonight to discuss the council election and computer count outside the municipality.
The meeting will be held in the municipal offices tonight at 4.30pm.
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