The federal opposition is fuming that ticks could count as a Yes vote in the referendum but a cross will not count as a No vote.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has called for a re-think by the Australian Electoral Commission after it said a tick could be counted as a Yes vote in the Voice to parliament referendum, but a cross would not count as a No vote.
A spokesman for the AEC said the rules for referendums had been the same for a long time and the “savings provisions” – that is, the ability to count a vote where the instructions have not been followed but the voter’s intention is clear – had been in place for 30 years.of the referendum – widely expected to be October 14 – in Adelaide next Wednesday.
“Counting a tick as a formal vote while simultaneously excluding a cross as informal could artificially skew the count towards the Yes vote, and fail to accurately reflect the will of the Australian people,” he wrote.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'Just stinks': Peter Dutton to complain to AEC about tick and cross Voice referendum votingThe Australian Electoral Commission has said ticks would likely be counted as Yes votes, while a cross would likely not be counted, a decision that has attracted the ire of the federal Coalition.
Read more »
Peter Dutton cross about AEC tick ruling on Voice referendumThe federal opposition is fuming that ticks could count as a Yes vote in the referendum but a cross will not count as a No vote.
Read more »
AEC urges voice voters to write ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and says crosses may not be countedAustralian Electoral Commission says rules on ticks and crosses is not new after no campaign claims requirement will ‘stack the deck’
Read more »
‘Outrageous’: Dutton slams tick and cross voting on Voice ballot paperOpposition Leader Peter Dutton has slammed the Voice to Parliament ballot paper rules as “outrageous” amid controversy over the validity of ticks and crosses. The AEC revealed to Sky News that ticking the ballot box rather than writing ‘Yes’ could still count as a ‘Yes’ vote – however crosses will not be counted as ‘No’ votes. “It gives a very, very strong advantage to the ‘Yes’ case,” Mr Dutton said in a 2GB radio interview on Thursday. The Electoral Commission confirmed while not all ticks will be accepted, all crosses will be deemed informal.
Read more »
Peter Dutton says ticks and crosses should count in Voice votePeter Dutton has weighed on an unexpected controversy over ticks and crosses on the Voice ballot papers.
Read more »
'Completely outrageous': Dutton blasts Voice referendum voting systemOpposition Leader Peter Dutton will write to the Australian Electoral Commission following intense outrage over the commissioner’s confusing comments on the voting rules for the Voice to Parliament referendum.
Read more »