As few as 30 per cent of Queensland voters are expected to cast their vote on the official election day of October 31, which the Electoral Commission of Queensland is warning could result in a significant delay before many seats are declared.
A record 92,000 Queenslanders applied for postal votes after the first two days they were made available for the October 31 state poll.The ECQ estimates only 30 per cent of voters will do so on polling dayThe Electoral Commission of Queensland opened the application process last Monday, in anticipation of higher demand as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2012, only 10 per cent of the Queensland electorate lodged their ballot at an early voting station.At the last election, that figure was 26 per cent and during the local government elections in March the rate went up to 50 per cent. Early voting will be available every day from October 19 with some polling places offering extended hours.
"In 2017, we had 11 per cent of the vote, or around 300,000 votes which were done through post, yet the final declaration after election day took 13 days." The LNP has to win nine more seats to secure a majority, while Labor can only afford to lose one seat before it is forced to rely on the cross benches to form government.
"Of course, it does depend on the closeness of the results, but certainly the commission is required by law to be mathematically sure of the result," Mr Vidgen said.The electoral commissioner has advice for people who are impatient to find out who won.
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