Following the News Weekly’s story last week about local nursing home residents not voting, the Electoral Commission spokesman said that Bimbimbie, Merimbula had been booked for pre-polling.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
”We had booked Bimbimbie Retirement Village to be the pre-poll venue however the booking was subsequently cancelled by the venue. They declared it was not suitable/available to be booked as a pre-poll venue,” the spokesman said.
“Roy Wotton Retirement Village, Eden requested, and was sent, postal vote applications for their residents,” he added.
The spokesman said that the other eight Declared Institutions in the Bega Valley Shire all requested visits and received them but it is not clear why visits were not requested for Bimbimbie and Roy Wotton Gardens.
Bimbimbie and Roy Wotton Gardens are run by RSL Lifecare and are both classed as Declared Institutions for voting purposes which means that an official would collect the ballot papers of residents able to vote.
Bimbimbie was a pre-polling location and residents could vote on site but it was was moved to Twyford Hall for the local election.
