EXTRA hygiene precautions are set to be in place at polling booths across the Redlands as the election goes ahead in the midst of a coronavirus outbreak.
Applications for postal votes have surged, with more than 96,000 received by the Queensland Electoral Commission since Friday afternoon.
Postal vote application close at 7pm on Monday, March 16.
Early voting has begun at Cleveland Baptist Church on Danielle Street, Victoria Point Community Hall on Colburn Avenue and Capalaba Place Hall on Rickey Street.
The ECQ will be implementing a range of new measures for people attending early voting centres and polling booths to vote in-person.
This includes sourcing additional supplies of hand sanitiser for use by voters at polling booths. Due to high levels of demand, these supplies are expected to be available at early voting centres by mid-week.
Voters are also encouraged to bring their own pen or pencil with them to vote as an additional hygiene precaution.
"We recognise that this is an extraordinary situation and are adapting our service model accordingly," Queensland's Electoral Commissioner, Pat Vidgen said.
"This includes additional hygiene precautions and people management measures to be implemented at the nearly 1500 early voting centres and polling booths across Queensland.
"I ask for the understanding and cooperation of all voters to make sure that the elections are conducted smoothly and with minimal impact on voters and election staff.
"This is a unique and evolving situation and we will update voters if circumstances change. I encourage people to check the ECQ website for up-to-date information about how to cast their vote."
More than 30 candidates have officially thrown their hat in the ring in the Redlands.
Some have been campaigning for months, while others are newcomers to the race.
Divisions 2, 5 and 9 are set to be hotly contested, with four contenders in the running for each.
David Curtin, Claire Richardson and Karen Williams will vie for the position of mayor.
Nomination for candidates has now closed and a random draw will be conducted on Wednesday to determine the order in which candidates' names appear on the ballot papers.
All current councillors will be recontesting their seats.
Redland City Council is currently in caretaker period. During this period, the current council will not be able to make any significant policy decisions.
Polling booths will be open between 8am and 6pm on March 28.
People who may be unable to get to a polling booth can also apply for a postal vote by Monday, March 16. ECQ must receive all postal votes by Tuesday, April 7.
On March 29, ECQ will start the official vote count and publish results on the ECQ website. The official count process can take up to 10 days.
Redlands nominated candidates include:
- Division 1 (Ormiston, Wellington Point): Wendy Boglary, Corinne Tomasi
- Division 2 (Cleveland, North Stradbroke Island): Peter Mitchell, Irene Henley, Callen Sorensen-Karklis, Frannie Ziebarth
- Division 3 (Cleveland South, Thornlands): Paul Golle, Terry Huckfield, Debbie Stone
- Division 4 (Victoria Point, Coochiemudlo Island, Redland Bay): Lance Hewlett, Jarrod Noble
- Division 5 (Redland Bay, Bay Islands): Mark Edwards, Ann Hagen, Junita Grosvenor, Hilton Travis
- Division 6 (Mount Cotton, Sheldon, Thornlands, Victoria Point): Julie Talty, Lacey Healey
- Division 7 (Alexandra Hills, Capalaba, Thornlands): Murray Elliott, Rowanne McKenzie
- Division 8 (Alexandra Hills, Birkdale South, Ormiston, Wellington Point): Tracey Huges, Greg Hill, Keith Mearns
- Division 9 (Capalaba, Birkdale): Paul Gleeson, James Farrell, Adelia Berridge, Allison Wicks
- Division 10 (Birkdale North, Thorneside): Paul Bishop, Steve Morgan
- Mayor: Karen Williams, Claire Richardson, David Curtin