In Australia, 11 candidates for Tasmania councils elected unopposed — ABC News Australia
In the Australian state of Tasmania, 11 candidates for two local councils were elected unopposed because there were fewer candidates than available seats. Six people nominated for seven seats on the Tasman Council, while five nominated for seven seats on the King Island Council.
According to ABC News Australia, the nomination period for both councils will be extended by one week to attract candidates for the remaining seats. The Local Government Act allows the Tasmanian Electoral Commission to extend the application deadline only for positions with an insufficient number of candidates.
Fewer candidates across the state
This year, 430 nominations were submitted for local elections in Tasmania, compared with 505 four years ago. The candidates include 283 men, 144 women and three non-binary people.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
The October elections will be the first since a reform adopted by Tasmania's authorities last year. The number of councillor positions in local councils was reduced from 263 to 213. Nine councillors will be elected only in Launceston, Hobart, Clarence, Glenorchy and Kingborough, while the remaining 24 jurisdictions will have seven seats each.
Voting in October
Ballot packs are scheduled to be mailed from 5 October. Voting will close on 27 October, and vote counting will begin the following day. Participation is compulsory for voters enrolled on the state register; there will be no in-person polling stations.
Tasman Council Mayor Rod Macdonald called the shortage of candidates regrettable and linked it to the absence of acute contentious issues in the region. All six candidates who have already nominated for the Tasman Council will automatically receive seats. If one application is submitted for the final seat, that candidate will also be elected unopposed; if there are more candidates, they will compete for the seat in the vote.
