The Mid-Western Region local council elections are set to be hotly-contested this year with a whopping 52 candidates registering to vie for your vote on election day, Saturday, December 4, guaranteeing a very different council than the one residents have known for the previous protracted five-year term.

After a rocky start, the Election NSW website is now correctly displaying all of the candidates, previously frustrations were abound with names missing and candidates not correctly sorted into their appropriate groups. Of those appearing in the list, 46 are a part of groups and six are running independently and all previous Mid-Western councillors are running again with the exception of Russell Holden.

Previously unconfirmed to be running, Des Kennedy appears on the list and in addition, John O'Neill who said previously he was 'most likely not going to run', appears on the list as an independent.

Women make up nearly half of the registered candidates with 25 local women appearing on the list, something not seen in previous Mid-Western elections. This follows calls in years past for more women to throw their hats in the ring.

The Mudgee Guardian is currently running a poll online, asking readers for what they consider to be the biggest community issues. The top five most common replies will be put to the candidates and group leads for their response over the next month before election day to be posted online and in print.

Early poll results reveal that roads and infrastructure are among the most important issues flagged by residents, followed by calls for more affordable housing, a quicker process for administration and DA approvals and better and more entertainment and recreation options for younger residents in the region.

Councils around the state were shaken up last year when it was announced - and then announced again - that the elections would be heavily delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year there will still be measures in place at polling booths around the region while residents are still able to vote by mail with pre-poll voting opening on Monday, November 22. Friday, December 3 is when pre-poll voting closes.

There are nine groups running with at least five candidates in each:

There are also a number of candidates running on their own, classified as ungrouped: