Independent candidate
Pundits argue the cards could have cost Mr Oakeshott the northern NSW seat because voters must place a number in every box for their ballot to count as a formal vote.
"We were chasing a number 1 next to our name and then for everyone else to fill out one to eight in the order that they wanted," Mr Oakeshott told Seven news on Saturday night.
The former member for Lyne - who famously backed prime minister Julia Gillard after the 2010 federal election - acknowledged his how-to-vote cards could cost him some votes.
"It could and that's the risk we take," he said.
"But we respect the intelligence of our voters and we designed a card that we think does exactly that. We will wait and see what happens. If it blows up, it blows up."
Mr Oakeshott told ABC TV he was focused on local issues such as getting the Coffs Harbour bypass built and reducing youth unemployment in regional areas.
He also wants to push Canberra to take serious action on climate change.
Mr Oakeshott is up against the Nationals candidate Pat Conaghan after Luke Hartsuyker retired.
With 13 per cent of the vote counted at 7.45pm on Saturday night, Mr Conaghan was ahead 58 to 42 per cent on a two-party preferred basis.
