Special Meeting of Electors
The community or Council can make a request to the Mayor to hold a Special Meeting of Electors for any purpose, provided the issues to be considered are within the local government’s power to deal with.
The Town of Cambridge's electors must adhere to the procedures outlined in the Local Government Act 1995 in order to petition the Mayor to conduct a special election.
The petition must be:
- completed on Form 1(PDF, 146KB);
- signed by 300 electors and specify the matters* to be discussed;
- be addressed to the Mayor;
- contain the name, address and signature of each petitioner** and
- contain a summary of the reasons for the request,
- submitted with the format not altered in any way, please keep in mind that it is crucial that no changes are made to the Form 1(PDF, 146KB) : Please don't add or remove any columns or content.
The Special Meeting of Electors must then be held no more than 35 days after the day on which the Mayor receives the request.
Meeting Procedures
The meeting procedure is prescribed by Section 5.31 of the Local Government Act 1995 and Regulation 18 of the Local Government (Administration) Regulations 1996. The Presiding Member being the Mayor will Chair the Meeting, in accordance with Section 5.30(1) of the Act.
The following procedures will normally apply to the meeting (unless changed by the Presiding Member):
- Opening
- Welcome and Introduction
- Apologies
- Business to be discussed - as stated in Form 1
- Questions and Answers
- Speakers to state their name and address
- Maximum speaking time per person is three (3) minutes
- Speakers "For" and "Against" alternatively / Consideration of Motions (if any)
- Close.
Consideration by Council
Decisions made at a Special Meeting of Electors are required to be considered in accordance with s5.33 of the Local Government Act 1995, which states:
"5.33 Decision made at electors' meetings
All decision made at an electors' meeting are to be considered at the next ordinary council meeting or, if that is not practicable -
- at the first ordinary council meeting after that meeting or
- at a special meeting called for that purpose, whichever happens first.
If at a meeting of the council a local government makes a decision in response to a decision made at an electors' meeting, the reasons for the decision are to be recorded in the minutes of the council meeting.
However, it should be noted that any decisions made at a Special Meeting of Electors are not binding on the Council.
*Matter/s specified must not have been discussed at a Special Meeting within a 12-month period prior to the request being received.
**Council will only recognise signatures from electors of the district. Signatures from persons outside of the district will be disregarded.
Special Meeting of Electors Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the purpose of an Electors’ Special Meeting?
A Special Meeting of Electors can be requested for any purpose, provided the issues to be considered are within the local government’s power to deal with.
A request for a Special Meeting of Electors must specify the purpose for which the meeting is being called in a brief and clear manner.
Do I have to register to vote at an Electors’ Special Meeting?
Yes. To vote at an Special Meeting of Electors, you must first register with the Town to confirm that you are an elector of the Town of Cambridge.
Who runs the Electors’ Special Meeting?
The Presiding Member for a Special Meeting of Electors is the Mayor, or if the Mayor is unavailable, the Deputy Mayor may be delegated this responsibility.
If the Deputy Mayor is also unavailable to preside, the Electors present at the meeting choose a Councillor to preside. If the Councillor nominated is unable or unwilling to preside, the Electors may choose someone else to preside.
What can I do at a Special Meeting of Electors?
If you are an elector and have registered to vote at the Special Meeting of Electors you are attending, you can move what’s called a ‘motion’ at the meeting and you can vote on your or anyone else’s motion.
Moving a ‘motion’ means you are asking the Council to undertake some kind of action, for example, to adopt a report, to undertake works, to stop works and so on.
The Presiding member will call for a seconder. If you receive a ‘seconder’ for your motion, or in other words, the support of another person for your motion, the Presiding Member of the Special Meeting of Electors will ask those in attendance if anyone would like to debate the motion and then, votes for or against on the motion will be taken.
I’m registered, how do I vote at a Special Meeting of Electors?
Voting at a Special Meeting of Electors is by a simple show of hands. You will be asked to raise your hand if you are ‘for’ a motion being passed, or if you are ‘against’ a motion being passed.
When you registered to vote, you will have received voting card with the Town’s logo on it prior to the meeting. You must show your card clearly when you raise your hand to vote.
I can’t make the meeting, can someone else vote for me or can I post my vote in?
No. You must be in attendance at a Special Meeting of Electors to be able to have your vote counted.
What happens with motions passed at a Special Meeting of Electors?
All decisions made at Electors’ Meetings are brought before the Council for consideration either at the next Ordinary Council Meeting, or if that’s not possible, the subsequent Council meeting. Otherwise, the Council can call a Special Council Meeting for this purpose.
For a decision made at an Electors’ Meeting to become a decision of the Council, the Council must adopt or agree to it.
If Council makes a decision in response to a decision made at an Electors’ Meeting, the reasons for the decision are recorded in the minutes of the Council meeting.
Will I be able to get a copy of the minutes of the Special Meeting of Electors?
Yes. The Town takes minutes of the proceedings of all Electors’ Meetings These are published and made publicly available.