Full guide to voting at Ballina in the 2023 NSW state election

With the state election just days away, here’s everything you need to know about casting a vote in the seat of Ballina.

Ballina is a fairly large state electorate, covering both Byron and Ballina shires.

The seat was historically a National Party stronghold with Don Page holding the reins until his retirement in 2015.

Tamara Smith of the Greens managed to track well ahead of Labor and National counterparts by preference and won the 2015 and 2019 state elections.

The Nationals were left with a 20 per cent drop in support after Mr Page retired.

The Greens benefited from Labor votes and coal seam gas was a burning issue at the time, working in the smaller party’s favour.

Sitting MP Ms Smith will face off against four contenders come the March 25 vote.

The last state election

The Nationals’ Ben Franklin secured 37.4 per cent of primary votes and the two-party-preferred vote was 45.1 per cent.

In comparison, the Greens attracted 31.2 per cent in primary votes, but cleaned up with 54.9 per cent of the two-party-preferred vote.

Greens support rose and Nationals and Labor did not gain a foothold.

Nationals Ben Franklin was the candidate for Ballina's electoral seat in 2019. Picture: Liana Boss

Nuts and bolts

The Ballina state electorate covers 874 sqm and has 59,329 electors.

The electorate spans Ballina Shire and most of Byron Shire and including Alstonville, Ballina. Bangalow, Byron Bay, Lennox Head, Mullumbimby, Ocean Shores, Suffolk Park and Brunswick Heads.

The Ballina electorate. Picture: NSW Government

Where to vote

Alstonville High School 19 Cawley Close Alstonville

Ballina High School Swift Street Ballina

Bangalow Public School 45 Byron Street Bangalow

Brunswick Heads Memorial Hall Fingal Street Brunswick Heads

Byron Bay High School Broken Head Road Byron Bay

Byron Bay Public School Carlyle Street Byron Bay

Coorabell Hall 565 Coolamon Scenic Drive Coorabell

Durrumbul Public School Durrumbul Road Durrumbul

Emmanuel Anglican College 62 Horizon Drive Ballina

Lennox Head Cultural Centre 1 Mackney Lane Lennox Head

Meerschaum Vale Hall Reserve Trust Marom Creek Road Meerschaum Vale

Newrybar Public School 10 Broken Head Road Newrybar

Ocean Shores Community Centre 55 Rajah Road Ocean Shores

Ocean Shores Public School 166 Shara Boulevard Ocean Shores North

Rous Public School Rous Road Alstonville

Southern Cross Public School 2-40 Chickiba Drive Ballina East

St Johns Multi Purpose Centre 11 Murwillumbah Road Mullumbimby

Suffolk Park Community Hall Clifford Street Suffolk Park

Teven-Tintenbar Public School 28 Fredericks Lane Tintenbar

The Richmond Room Ballina 5 Regatta Ave Ballina

Wardell Memorial Hall 43 Richmond Street Wardell

Wollongbar Public School Simpson Ave Wollongbar

Early voting centres:

Ballina Election Manager’s Office, 55 Dalley Street, Mullumbimby – March 18 – 24, Mon-Wed: 8:30am-5:30pm, Thu: 8:30am-8:00pm, Fri: 8:30am-6:00pm, Sat: 9:00am-6:00pm

Marvell Hall, 37 Marvell St, Byron Bay – March 18 – 24, Mon-Wed: 8:30am – 5:30pm, Thu: 8:30am-8:00pm, Fri: 8:30am-6:00pm, Sat: 9:00am- 6:00pm

The Richmond Room, 5 Regatta Ave, Ballina – March 18 – 24, Mon-Wed: 8:30am-5:30pm, Thu: 8:30am-8:00pm, Fri: 8:30am-6:00pm, Sat: 9:00am-6:00pm

It’s your move

If you’re eligible to vote, it’s compulsory to do so in NSW. If you don’t have a valid reason for failing to vote you can be fined $55.

Key moments for 2023

March 8: Close of nominations.

10am, March 9: Announcement of candidates and ballot draw (the order in which they will appear on your voting paper). See how the draw unfolded.

March 18: Early voting opens.

6pm, March 20: Postal vote applications close.

8am-6pm: Election day.

6pm, April 6: Receipt of postal votes closes.

April 14: Estimated completion of Legislative Assembly (lower house) declaration of results.

April 20: Estimated completion of Legislative Council (upper house – senate) declaration of results.

Big picture

NSW is divided into 93 state electoral districts. Voters in each patch will elect one person to represent their district in the Legislative Assembly. Voters will also elect 21 of the 42 members of the Legislative Council.