Northern Tablelands 2023 election: Early voting popular with almost 13,000 votes cast

With 12,559 prepoll votes completed at early voting centres in Armidale, Inverell, Moree and Glen Innes and 332 postal votes already returned, the electorate is in the top 10 in the state when it comes to voting early.

The figures from the NSW Electoral Commission show that, as of lunchtime Thursday, 21.87 per cent of Northern Tablelands' voters have already had their name marked off.

READ MORE: The 10 candidates contesting the Northern Tablelands election

It's a similar story in places like Bathurst, Bega, Tamworth and Dubbo.

The electorate to have seen the highest rate of pre-polling so far is Myall Lakes, on the Mid North Coast, with 25.78 per cent.

At the other end of the scale, the Wahroonga electorate in northern Sydney has had just 10.39 per cent lodge an early vote.

Outside Armidale Town Hall on Thursday, state MP Adam Marshall said they had seen a steady stream of voters filing past to cast their vote.

Greens candidate Elizabeth O'Hara and independent Billy Wood were also handing out how-to-vote cards, along with Labor volunteers Caroline Chapman and Sean Maguire.

At the 2019 state election, prepoll voting increased in popularity, especially at Inverell where the figures showed most of the town's eligible voters had already visited the ballot box before the official election day.

More than 6400 votes were dropped into the ballot box in the week leading up to the 2019 election in Inverell, then on election day just 2834 people voted at the town's three polling places.

Pre-poll voting for the 2023 election opened on Saturday, March 18, and early voting stations remain open until 6pm Friday, March 24.

On election day, Saturday, March 25, polling booths will be open from 8am until 6pm.

ARMIDALE REGION

INVERELL SHIRE

GLEN INNES SEVERN

GWYDIR SHIRE

MOREE SHIRE

URALLA SHIRE

WALCHA SHIRE