Tyranny of 100m distance forces rethink for first-time Orange candidates Steve Petersen, Lesley Smith

To reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, the usual six-metre-rule, is being extended to 100 metres.

That means no electoral material can be handed out, or left for collection within 100m of the entrance to a polling booth. The directive also extends to pre-polling.

Posters, A-frames and corflutes cannot be displayed in a publicly owned or occupied area (such as the footpath or school fences) within 100 metres of the entrance to a polling place or pre-poll venue on polling days, unless they are put in place before 7am.

First-time candidates Dr Steve Peterson and Lesley Smith said the change would make it harder for them to build a profile on election day.

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"I does present an additional challenge, but corona virus has given additional challenges to us all over the year," Dr Peterson said.

"It does reduce the opportunity for interaction between candidates and voters - I personally was hoping to be at the poll on election day so people could come and talk to me ... to assess if they wanted to vote for me. This can't happen now."

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Dr Petersen said he more than likely would not visit the polls on December 4.

"I think for myself, I probably won't come at all, even if there's someway I can get around the letter of the law, I think the spirit of the law is pretty clear.

"We just have to be more creative about how we get in contact with people although I think it will be a bit harder for people who are not as well-known in the community.

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"They don't have that recognition, its nobody's fault. It's just something that happened."

Ms Smith, who is also standing for mayor agreed, but said she would be attending polls at 100m.

"Absolutely, I will be there on the day but we have some other strategies about how to get our message out," she said..

"We'll still be standing there on the day and in particularly in pre polling. We'll be there in high vis vets and things if people want to walk down to us.

"People may have last-minute questions"

She was concerned that without how-to-vote information readily at hand, voters would make uninformed decisions.

"People without a how-to-vote leaflet are going to go "I don't know what to do' and are just going to go for a quick vote above the line," she said.

"By doing that they miss an opportunity to handpick a council that will follow through their vision and their focus on where they think Orange should go.

"So it will disadvantage anyone that is independent and standing below the line."

Candidates can upload a profile on the Elections NSW website but Dr Petersen felt only a small percentage of people would take advantage.

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