There may have been a distinct lack of the fabled democracy sausage at most of Wagga's polling stations on Saturday, but that couldn't stop a jovial atmosphere from forming outside the centres.
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Residents, volunteers and candidates alike were treated to warm, sunny weather and the popularity of early voting meant lines were never too long.
"There has been a good vibe and people have all been very friendly," Greens candidate Eric Kaiser said at the gates of Sturt Public School.
"It's different not being able to hand out how to vote material so some people are finding that a bit awkward but it means we're talking to people more which is good."
The election was the first to take place in NSW since the start of the global pandemic and as a result there were some unique rules in place.
Voters were expected to sign in to the polling stations either through a QR or manually, while candidates and volunteers were not permitted to hand out election material within 100 metres of each polling booth.
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Duncan Farquhar, one of the candidates on the Getting It Done ticket, said the rules created an interesting quandary for the election hopefuls.
"How to work the rules has definitely been an interesting part of the mix," Mr Farquhar said.
"I chose to stand 100 metres away and hand out cards but it can be tough because out here you don't know if people are just walking past or if they're coming in to vote."
It was feared the additional restrictions would lead to long wait times and cause disruptions at the polling booths, but ultimately things were largely quiet at almost all of Wagga's polling stations as voters trickled in.
John Cook was an electoral officer at Wesley Uniting Church where 1211 ballots were cast and said he was particularly surprised by the low turnout.
"It was quieter than expected," he said. "I think because a lot of people nowadays are doing pre-poll and a lot of the younger ones are doing iVote (online voting)."
According to Mr Cook there was a steady flow of fledgling voters throughout the day, with many of Wagga's young adults heading out to flex their democratic rights for the first time.
Isabella Elliott, 20, was one of these young Wagga residents who went off to cast their first ever vote on Saturday.
"I'm really not sure what to expect when I go in," Miss Elliott said. "I've been told a few controversial things about some of the parties but other than that I don't really know that much at all."
Exactly 20,152 votes were cast in the Wagga local government area on Saturday.
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