Greens Party candidate Mandy Nolan has won the coveted top spot in the ballot paper draw for the Federal seat of Richmond.

Election analysts say winning the top spot gives the candidate a slight “donkey vote” advantage; more so when there’s a wide field of candidates.  There are 10 people vying for Richmond, with sitting ALP MP Justine Elliot, who is running for a seventh term, placed second on the ballot.   South Ballina independent Kevin Loughrey drew third, with the Nationals Kimberly Hone coming seventh.

This election represents a re-match for the three most favoured candidates, with Elliot, Nolan and Hone all having faced each other at the 2022 election.

The Byron Bay comedian achieved a 4.95 percent first-preference swing for the Greens Party at that election, but still finished more than 3000 votes behind the incumbent.  Ms Elliot wrested what had mostly been a National/Country Party seat since Federation by defeating Larry Anthony back in 2004.

Green preferences ultimately helped the ALP achieve a 4.15 percent swing against the Nationals in the the final two-candidate preferred vote distribution in 2022, representing a margin of 16,424 votes.

In the ballot draw for the seat of Page, incumbent Kevin Hogan came in fourth position, just below the ALP candidate Wendy Backhous.  The four-term Nationals MP is not expected to face too strong a challenge, with the ALP struggling to field a candidate until late and the Teal “independent” group unable to find one.

Pre-poll voting begins next Tuesday (April 22) at the Richmond Room, Regatta Avenue in Ballina, 4 Zadoc St in Lismore and Byron Bay Community Centre in Johnson St.

It’s expected nearly 50 percent of voters will either vote early or lodge postal votes prior to the May 3 polling day.

Follow the Ballina News Daily for 2025 Election updates and candidate profiles.

PICTURE: Prime Minister Albanese made an early campaign visit to Lennox Head on February 7, supporting MP Justine Elliot with a $1m funding commitment for security cameras for Ballina Shire.