540,208 applications have been received to vote by post in the 2023 NSW State election.
The NSW Electoral Commission says this is a more than 117% increase in applications from the 2019 NSW State election where 248,236 applications were received. With iVote not available this election and only 6 days of pre-poll voting, many who cannot make it to a booth this Saturday will need to use postal voting. However, there was also a significant spike in postal votes in the 2022 federal election, and the 2022 South Australian election, indicating the increasing preference for convenient voting may be a nationwide trend post-pandemic.
Completed postal vote packs must be received by the NSW Electoral Commission by 6pm on Thursday, 6 April. The higher number of postal votes may mean a delay in results, particularly if the
Final results for the 2023 NSW State election cannot be confirmed until all votes have been counted. The Electoral Commission estimates the following dates to complete the election count:
- Wednesday 12 April – Estimated completion of Legislative Assembly districts check counts
- Thursday 13 April – Estimated distribution of preferences for Legislative Assembly districts
- Friday, 14 April – Estimated declaration of results for Legislative Assembly districts
- Thursday, 20 April – Estimated declaration of results for the Legislative Council
For more information about counting and results, you can view a recorded webinar on the topic from the NSW Electoral Commission here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQLvq27LnVw
And for those who want to watch as each batch of votes counted is added into the system, election daily metrics are available on the NSW Electoral Commission website.
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