NSW by-elections to be held within weeks

Instead, voters will head to the polls in person in Willoughby, Monaro, Bega and Strathfield on February 12, barring any changes to health advice, Legislative Assembly Speaker Jonathan O'Dea said.

The by-elections are the result of a series of resignations of senior figures across both sides of the aisle. 

For the last 18 years, Willoughby has been held by former premier Gladys Berejiklian, who stepped down from the top job in October after her conduct was referred to the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

Monaro was vacated by former deputy premier John Barilaro, Bega by former transport minister Andrew Constance, and Strathfield by former opposition leader Jodi McKay.

Mr Barilaro and Ms McKay have retired from politics, while Mr Constance has been selected as the Liberal candidate to run for the federal seat of Gilmore in the upcoming national election. 

Although NSW is likely to still be recording significant numbers of COVID-19 infections by the time of the polls, electors will not be able to vote online.

The state's iVote system - designed to mitigate COVID-19 risks - crashed during the local government elections held on December 4. 

Electoral Commissioner John Schmidt applied to the Supreme Court last week to void results in three councils - Kempsey, Shellharbour, and Singleton - because the iVote crash could have affected the outcome.

The Electoral Commission "does not have the time or the resources" to do testing to make sure the issues with iVote have been fixed ahead of the February 12 polls, Mr Schmidt informed Mr Perrottet in a letter sent last Thursday and tabled to parliament.

Mr Schmidt complained in a parliamentary hearing in November that his agency was not adequately funded.

He has asked Mr Perrottet to issue a regulation that would mean all voters in the by-elections are sent a postal voting pack because of the risk posed by COVID-19. 

Currently, voters have to apply for a pack themselves if they want to vote by mail.

There will be a fierce contest for the seat of Strathfield, which Ms McKay won with a margin of five per cent.

Former United Nations lawyer turned investment firm chairman Jason Yat-sen Li will fight to keep it in Labor's hands.

Bridget Sakr - whose 11-year-old daughter died along with three other children when they were hit by a drunk and drugged driver at Oatlands in 2020 - will run for the Liberals.

The Liberal candidate for Willoughby, a safe lower north shore seat, is Tim James, who is executive director of the Menzies Research Centre think tank and former chief-of-staff to Planning Minister Anthony Roberts.

In Bega, farmer and former teacher Fiona Kotvojs will aim to continue the Liberal party's 33-year hold over the seat. Mr Constance held it on a 6.9 per cent margin. 

She will run against Labor's Michael Holland, a south coast gynaecologist and obstetrician.

Nichole Overall and Bryce Wilson will face off in the Monaro by-election for the Nationals and Labor respectively. Mr Barilaro held Monaro by 11.6 per cent margin, though the seat was marginal until the last election. 

Mr O'Dea plans to issue the writs for the polls on Friday.

Meanwhile, five local government by-elections are slated to take place on February 26.