Voter turnout drops across South West

Local councils are the first tier of government and perhaps the most accessible for the everyday person who might want the footpath out the front of their house repaired or an overgrown verge trimmed. They also deal with big ticket items – such as community assets like water playgrounds or multi-storey carparks – using ratepayers’ hard-earned money. So why do residents not bother voting? South West local governments produced some of the lowest voter numbers to date in the latest elections at the weekend. More needs to be done to figure out why, according to Local Government Minister David Templeman. “The low voter turnout across the State was very disappointing and more needs to be done around understanding why people are not voting,” Mr Templeman told the South Western Times. “We are looking at ways to increase participation through the review of the Local Government Act.” Bunbury City Council’s election saw its lowest number of ballots returned in five elections with just 28.55 per cent received. That was down from 35.1 per cent in 2017 – a Mayoral election – and an average of 31.68 per cent over the three elections prior. Mayor Gary Brennan said the numbers were disappointing and he could not pinpoint exactly why people were not voting, but suggested candidates could do more. “It couldn’t be any easier for people to vote, the ballot papers are delivered to their addresses, they get a return envelope paid for, there’s no cost,” Mr Brennan said. “I just think that a lot of the candidates could have probably done more – it’s very difficult for people to select people they prefer if they’re not familiar with them.” Mr Brennan ruled out the possibility that people just do not care. “I think people care, but maybe they can’t be too bothered returning the ballot papers,” he said. “It’s up to the individuals if they wish to exercise their democratic right and have a say on who they want on council ... obviously I’d prefer more involvement in that key area of electing who you want to represent you in our community. “The City of Bunbury is a large business... It’s a $70 million business, it employs close to 380 people. “When you look at everyday activities, either directly or indirectly, the city council has an impact on peoples’ lives.” While it had the highest return rate of South West councils, Donnybrook-Balingup Shire Council also had its lowest turnout in five elections at 35.21 per cent while Dardanup, Harvey and Collie shires had some of its lowest numbers at 26.88, 24.96 and 33.92 per cent respectively. Bucking the trend was Capel Shire Council with its highest turnout in five elections with a 34.01 per cent return rate. Both Mr Brennan and Mr Templeman said they did not support compulsory voting as a solution. “However I think the sector as a whole needs to do more work around selling the message about the good things local governments do, so that people understand the importance of the sector to their day-to-day lives,” Mr Templeman said.