Team ensures every vote counts
GARRY Adcock has been counting votes in his sleep - the little bit he's had in the last few days.
The returning officer for the Southern Downs council election is confident the official results of the poll will be declared as required by law next Tuesday, 10 days out from the voting cut-off of 6pm on Saturday last.
Mr Adcock and his crew of polling workers counted 13,706 mayoral and councillor postal ballots at the weekend, out of more than 23,000 issued in the region.
More than 3000 came in yesterday and Mr Adcock is looking for the same number today, with more expected tomorrow from those voters who left it until late last week to have their say.
Polling staff spent yesterday opening envelopes, a time-consuming task in itself, with some counting expected to have been done last night and continuing this morning.
"We count the councillor votes in lots of 10, after clipping them to a counting board," Mr Adcock explained.
"It's simple genius, but it also takes time."
