“Ms Lynnice Letty Church has been elected to fill the casual vacancy on the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body, resulting from the resignation of one of its members, Mr Richard Allan,” the Electoral Commissioner, Phil Green, said today.

Mr Allan resigned as a member of the Elected Body on 15 February 2016.

“All candidates who stood unsuccessfully at the 2014 election were invited to contest the vacancy. Three applications were received prior to the close of applications at 12 noon, Monday 29 February 2016,” Mr Green said.

Ms Church was listed as Lynnice Letty Keen on the 2014 ATSIEB general election ballot paper.

Vacancies on the Elected Body are filled by distributing the votes of the former member.

“As Mr Richard Allan was elected following the casual vacancy resulting from the resignation of Ms Jo Donovan, the votes that elected Ms Donovan in the 2014 Elected Body election were redistributed to determine Mr Allan’s replacement. In effect, those voters who voted for Ms Donovan again determined the vacating member’s replacement,” Mr Green said.

Following the distribution of preferences Ms Lynnice Letty Church was elected to fill the casual vacancy on the Elected Body.

The official declaration of the poll is scheduled to take place at 1:30 pm on Tuesday 1 March 2016 at the office of the ACT Electoral Commission.