The blitzkrieg of misogynist abuse directed at Women for Wagga Council Facebook administrator Jenny Rolfe marks a disgusting new low in the increasingly tense race for a seat at the next Wagga council.

The comments, which number in the dozens, are puerile, deeply personal and pathetic.

They are also politically charged, with some of them coming from supporters of rival candidates.

Ms Rolfe should be commended for publicly calling out the trolls.

Everyone is entitled to have a view about the calibre of candidates standing for public office.

But to spew bile at a Facebook group on the sole basis of it supporting female candidates is manifestly wrong.

Yes, some female candidates are playing the gender card for political expediency.

But the vast majority are running because they believe they can have a positive impact on the future of our city.

They also happen to believe female voices are woefully underrepresented around the council table.

And they’re right.

Just one councillor, Yvonne Braid, was elected as part of the 11-member current council, a council dominated by middle-aged white men.

Despite 28 of the 53 candidates for this election being female, most are in unwinnable positions on tickets, hence Ms Rolfe’s call for more below the line voting.

The push for more female councillors isn’t about affirmative action, it’s about highlighting a glaring hole in the system.

Of course, as a community, we must be careful not to get blindsided by political correctness in its many forms.

When council candidate Peter Dale said what many were already thinking last week, that candidates should be elected on merit, not gender, he was roundly lambasted.

Political correctness can muzzle debate and obfuscate the complexity of issues.

When that happens, people get frustrated.

They feel powerless and lash out with abuse, just like the abuse we’ve seen directed at Ms Rolfe.

The council election is less than three weeks away.

There are 53 candidates for nine seats.

Expect more theatrics.