IN the race to be elected as a member of Griffith City Council, on top of the ballot paper is the coveted place to be come election day.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Those placed first on the ballot paper are able to take advantage of the notorious ‘donkey vote’ where an uninterested voter simply numbers the boxes ‘1’ down.
While there is no hard data as to how much of an advantage this gives to a candidate in any given election, there was no question among those present on Wednesday night at the ballot draw that it would account for a significant number of votes.
It was Group Five, the combination of Dino Zappacosta and Leon Thorpe who took out the top spot on the councillor’s election ballot paper while Councillor Doug Curran nabbed the first spot on the slip for mayor.
Councillor Zappacosta said he was happy with the outcome, saying he and Councillor Thorpe had been ‘quite fortunate’.
It was the first local government election for new candidate Kulwinder Chugha, more commonly known as ‘Ricky’, who said while he didn’t know how much of an effect taking out the top spot on the ballot paper would have, he wouldn’t discount it’s possible benefits.
“The way I think about it is it all depends on the voters,” Mr Chugha said.
“If someone has already made up their mind then they know who they are voting for, if not then I guess it can make a difference.
“It all really depends if people know you or not.”
Wednesday’s ceremonial process ensured all was above board as the election officially got under way, with the ballot box carefully examined before each draw to ensure nothing underhanded was afoot.
It was the first ballot draw for returning officer Jan Mitchell who said the ceremony and process had been an incredibly huge learning curve for her.
“Each name has to be put into one of the plastic containers and then they are placed in the ballot box in the order I received the nominations,” she said.
“We have to prove the box is empty first and then it must be locked and secured before we shake it to mix the names up.
“The seal is then broken and the names are taken out and that order is the order they will appear on the ballot paper.”
The ballot draw officially confirmed the candidates for Mayor of Griffith as, in the order they will now appear on the ballot, Doug Curran, Mike Neville, John Dal Broi, Paul Snaidero and Dino Zappacosta.
Griffith City Council elections will be held on Saturday, September 10.
