THE removal of electoral posters has been the only blight on an otherwise harmonious campaign in the lead-up to today’s poll.
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Labor candidate Bernard Fitzsimon said posters had been taken down across the Orange electorate as fast as Country Labor members could put them up.
“Our people were given strict instructions not to tamper with election materials, and next time, I’d like all the parties to give strict instructions to their members,” he said.
Otherwise, candidates said the campaign had been positive, with Greens candidate Janelle Bicknell commenting her Nationals and Labor opponents had represented their parties well.
“They are true to the cause really,” she said.
Nationals incumbent Andrew Gee, who has led the charge in election promises, admitted some nerves had taken hold.
“It’s an exciting time and there is an element of nervousness,” he said.
“I’ve tried to run a positive campaign and I’ve told people exactly what we’ll do and what we would build and what we would provide and I think when people go to vote, they will ask themselves whether they’re better off now than they were four years ago.”
Mr Fitzsimon described his feelings as “tired, confident, anxious, excited”, however he did not think an absence of election sweeteners was an obstacle.
“We don’t have access to the budget the incumbent has got, but it’s not good enough that they haven’t spent it over the last four years,” he said.
Ms Bicknell said she would wait and see what happened during tonight’s count, but she was hopeful the Greens would have three people elected to the upper house.
“We’re the alternative voice to the major parties,” she said.
Orange has been a Country Party/Nationals seat since 1947.
danielle.cetinski@fairfaxmedia.com.au