Voting Procedures

Clubs have been sent a link to cast their vote electronically on 24 March. Voting will close on  14 April. Any questions regarding the ballot should be sent to the Returning Officer at returning.officer@bridgensw.com.au. 

Constituencies

The Bridge NSW Council is elected from three constituencies, which we will call A, B and C for convenience:

  • A: The three largest clubs (Sydney Bridge Club, North Shore Bridge Club and Trumps) each get to appoint one member. We show them as nominations because they don’t become councillors until the Annual General Meeting on 6 May
  • B: Clubs with 100 members or more get to elect four council members
  • C: Clubs with less than 100 members get to elect four council members .

As this is the first elected Council, two of the members from B and C will be elected for a two-year term and the others for a one-year term. Next year, there will only be two members elected from B and C.

Voting procedure

The clubs in B and C will receive an email on Monday 24 March from the Returning Officer containing a link to exercise their vote. In the case of Unicorporated Associations, this is sent to the individual who has been nominated as the Member Representative for the member register. Unincorporated Associations that have not nominated a Member Representative will not receive this email.

Constituency B – 100 members or more

Each club in this constituency has a number of votes that is based on the size of the club as follows:

  • 400-999 members:  6 votes
  • 200-399 members:   3 votes
  • 100-199 members:   2 votes

Each club can vote for up to four candidates by marking the names of the candidate on the electronic ballot paper. The voting system has been provided with the weighting to be applied to each vote according to the table above. The two candidates receiving the highest total votes will be elected for a two-year term, the next two will be elected for a one-year term. The successful candidates will be declared elected to Council at the AGM.

Constituency C – less than 100 members

As the number of candidates is less than the number of vacancies, the three nominees will all be elected. However, it is necessary to conduct an election to determine which two of the nominees will receive a two-year term.

Each club in this constituency has one vote, and each club can vote for up to two candidates by marking the names of the candidate on the electronic ballot paper. The two candidates receiving the highest total votes will be elected for a two-year term, the third will be elected for a one-year term. The successful candidates will be declared elected to Council at the AGM.

Casual vacancies and additional Councillors

There will be a casual vacancy in constituency C. The Council has the power to appoint a member to fill this casual vacancy. Council has the power to also appoint additional members (up to six in total).