WIMMERA local government candidates have an anxious wait ahead as thousands of ballot papers continue to be counted this week.
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Wimmera residents in Horsham Rural City, Yarriambiack, Hindmarsh, West Wimmera and Northern Grampians shires voted for potential councillors on Friday.
Victorian Electoral Commission spokesman Lawson Fletcher said the commission had devised counting plans for every election, which differed depending on number of vacancies, voter turnout, count venues and count method.
”Throughout the week the commission is conducting extractions and then data entry of ballot papers as part of the proportional representation counting system for all contested elections in the Wimmera,” he said.
“During extraction, ballot papers are removed from their envelopes, bundled and reconciled in preparation for data entry.”
Mr Fletcher said data entry of ballot papers would be completed in the region between Friday and Sunday.
“The commission has until noon on Friday to accept ballots that were mailed by the close of voting last week, so full provisional results will only be available after this time,” he said.
Mr Fletcher said provisional results should be available for Hindmarsh, Northern Grampians and West Wimmera shires on Friday evening, for Yarriambiack Shire on Saturday evening and for Horsham Rural City on Sunday morning.
“Results are provisional until public declarations, which will be on Wednesday in the region,” he said.
Mr Fletcher said it was too early to know how many people voted in the election.
“In general, we are tracking roughly similar to 2012, where turnout across Victoria was about 70 per cent,” he said. In Northern Grampians Shire, only the Stawell ward is being contested.
Kevin Erwin was elected unopposed in the central ward, Tony Driscoll and Merrilee Reid were unopposed in the Kara Kara ward and Jason Hosemans was unopposed in the south-west ward.