Controversy is continuing to surround Noreen Hay's success at the Labor pre-selection ballot for the seat of Wollongong.

The sitting Wollongong MP had a clear win on Saturday.

The primary vote to her was 80 to 35 with 10 challenged.

"To receive overwhelming support from the rank and file again was very humbling," she said.

But more than a dozen people were told they were ineligible to vote and turned away including South Coast Labour Council secretary Arthur Rorris and a woman in her 80s on a walking frame.

The ABC's heard reports of yelling, intimidation and ALP members being challenged while they voted.

Candidate Ann Martin says it was chaotic.

"People were very upset and it's not just people voting for me, people voting for Noreen and Mr Scully as well," she said.

Ms Martin doesn't believe Saturday's ballot was transparent and has pointed to gaps in the mailing list she was given.

"I don't understand how my list of voters seemed to have holes in it, clearly other people have access to other lists than I do, possibly because I am not part of the party machine," she said.

Martin received 12 votes while fellow candidate Paul Scully attracted 44.

It's been suggested to the ABC that Arthur Rorris's ongoing issues with his ALP membership renewal this year was to stop him standing as a candidate.

Mr Rorris says his membership is supposed to roll-over automatically but he was attempting as late as Friday last week to have it renewed ahead of Saturday's ballot.

"I think what it does do is put the onus on the party head office as to what was motivating them because they have been given an opportunity to redress an issue and they've chosen not to," he said.

Ms Hay says those unable to vote were denied in line with Australian Labor Party rules.

"There are hundreds of members of the ALP who didn't have a vote because either they're not in the party long enough, didn't have enough meetings or didn't qualify for one reason or another not determined by any candidate," she said.

"But if you look at the vote, I overwhelmingly won the support of the local community so I think it's a shame that we are talking about the negatives once again."

The ABC is seeking a response from the ALP head office which conducted Saturday's ballot.