Important information for electors enrolled in City of Newcastle Ward 3
A printed authorised roll used to mark off electors during the local council elections for the City of Newcastle Ward 3 is unaccounted for.
The elector data of 30,971 electors in City of Newcastle Ward 3 is printed on the missing roll. The roll contains data for electors and non-residential electors (non-resident owners, occupiers and ratepaying lessees of rateable land) as at 5 August 2024.
The elector data printed on the authorised roll is as follows:
Elector identification number
Full name
Residential address for electors (not included for silent electors*). For non-residential electors this is the address that applies for their non-residential elector status.
Date of Birth (not included for silent electors*).
Sex of the enrolled person (as the letter ‘F’ or ‘M’).
*Silent electors
Silent elector addresses and dates of birth are not listed on the printed electoral roll. The following details are included on the roll:
Elector identification number
Full name
Sex (as the letter ‘F’ or ‘M’).
The individuals affected are being contacted directly by mail, with details of the information that was available on the roll and action they can take to protect their personal information.
We are working closely with to the NSW Police and the NSW Privacy Commissioner to take appropriate action.
The roll was raised as potentially unaccounted for following the pack-down of a polling place after close of voting on election day.After election day printed rolls are collected for scanning and checking against the electronic mark off of electors at pre-poll venues, postal vote records and other rolls in a council area to create a consolidated view of electors who have been marked off the roll.
For the NSW Local Government elections, a total of 10,739 printed rolls were distributed to 2099 unique venues. All of these have been signed back in and accounted for except for one authorised roll in City of Newcastle, Ward 3.
Acting NSW Electoral Commissioner Dr Matthew Phillips said all possible action was being taken to locate the missing roll.
“I apologise to the electors of Ward 3 of the City of Newcastle for the concern this will cause and encourage them to be alert to any potential misuse of their details.
Dr Phillips said while the roll was unaccounted for, all ballot papers are secure.
“This does not affect the validity of the City of Newcastle election results. All votes taken at the polling place where the roll was used were counted on election night and continued through the usual ballot tracking, counting and results processes,“ he said.
“Because we no longer have the roll to check who was marked off at that polling place, electors in Ward 3 will not be issued with failure to vote notices for the election,” he said.
Dr Phillips said the NSW Electoral Commission was investigating the incident and would review its processes for opportunities to strengthen security processes around the management of printed rolls.
Only enrolled electors and non-residential electors for Ward 3 of the City of Newcastle are listed on the printed roll. A map of Ward 3 is available here: https://elections.nsw.gov.au/elections/find-my-electorate/councils/newcastle/ward-3
If electors are not satisfied with the NSW Electoral Commission’s handling of the incident, they can make a complaint by email at privacy.newcastle@elections.nsw.gov.au
If anyone has information that may assist investigations relating to the missing roll, please contact NSW Police on 02 4926 6599.
NSW Electoral Commission general enquiries: 1300 135 736
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