Shire urges residents to vote

With only four days to go before the local government election on Saturday, the Shire of Roebourne is urging residents to vote.

As of last week only 11 per cent of people in Dampier and eight per cent in Karratha had lodged votes.

Shire of Roebourne chief executive Chris Adams said it was important as many residents as possible voted for their preferred candidate to ensure a robust council.

"They are the key decision makers who determine what the Shire's priorities will be, how money will be spent and how resources will be utilised," he said.

"Councillors are also the voice of the community, elected to represent residents and ratepayers and reflect their wants, needs and aspirations for the shire."

"As such their role is very important and influential in the shire which is why it's important for people to post their votes back for this election."

Low polling numbers across the State have been compounded by the rejection of more than 2300 votes in WA local government elections with voters failing to follow correct procedures when voting.

The WA Electoral Commission put out an urgent warning after the first week of postal ballot processing revealed thousands of ineligible votes were being cast.

Acting WA Electoral Commissioner Chris Avent said he feared thousands more would be wasted in what was a landmark poll for many councils.

"With voter turnout traditionally quite low in non-compulsory local government elections, the last thing we want is large numbers of people wasting their votes," he said.

In the 2011 local government poll, more than 14,000 votes could not be counted because they were unsigned or missing declarations.

"That's enough to change the results in many councils, particularly where there are tight contests," he said.

Voting packs have been sent to all households, and residents can submit their vote via post or in person at the Shire office in Karratha, open from 8am to 6pm on election day.