... I'm dismayed to report that less than 3000 voting packages have been returned for the Canning Vale ward, and the trend is that less packages are returned each day from now on, having stood in the last election 2 years ago, I am amazed how different the election process was this time around.
the packages were sent out almost only a week after the close of calling for candidates, which really gave candidates little time to get their messages out, also last year a draw was held for the order on the voting slip, seems this year that the order was determined by who had the first appointment with the returning officer.
two years ago and at previous elections voters would of noticed that the garbage trucks had advertisement on them notifying us of the elections, this year it does not seem to have happened, and apart from the sparse ads in the local papers and the COG news that is delivered in one of the local papers, you would of been lucky to have even noticed this election and as I feared most people would not of even bothered to have opened their election packages, I feel the voting numbers will be well down this year.
the reforms to local government have changed the way the votes are counted and a recent report has called for less councilors and amalgamation of existing councils, but most people would not even notice ...
