A fine for not voting in the last federal election has spurred Wellingrove resident Peter Smith to raise the issue of a lack of local pre-polling opportunities for federal elections, even though they’re available for local and state elections.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Smith thought he was excused from compulsory voting as he lives more than eight kilometres from the nearest polling place.
“I’d already been into town four days that week, and could have voted then if I could have pre-polled,” he said.
“I thought Barnaby Joyce was a foregone conclusion so I wasn’t going to make a special trip in on the Saturday to vote.”
In his 70 years Mr Smith said it’s the first time he hadn’t voted. On receiving the fine in the post he contacted Armidale’s Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) office, to be informed that the eight kilometre limit doesn’t apply to federal elections. He said when he inquired about the lack of pre-polling facilities in Glen Innes he was told that nobody has asked for it.
Although the fine, at $20, was small, he said it’s the principle that counts and he’s hoping to urge some community support for pre-polling for federal elections.
Those enrolled at an address more than 20 km away from a polling place do have the option to register to become a general postal voter, whereby they will automatically receive their ballot papers in the mail after an election has been announced.
Tjoen San Lauw, operations director for the AEC’s NSW State Office, said a review of the suitability of all polling (including pre-polling) facilities is conducted prior to, and following, a federal election.
“The review of pre-polling facilities for the federal electoral division of New England conducted prior to the 2013 federal election included Glen Innes and Tenterfield among a number of locations that were considered. Tenterfield was considered to be the better option on balance over Glen Innes due to the proximity of other major centres and traffic areas.
“The AEC is more than willing to consider relevant information on the appropriateness of polling facilities for the next federal election at any time. Members of the community may wish to submit any information they feel is relevant to providing voting facilities in their community to the divisional office manager for New England.”
Pre-polling facilities were provided by the NSW Election Commission in the run-up to the local government elections in 2012. For the 2013 federal election, pre-poll voting facilities were available only in Armidale, Tenterfield, Inverell and Gunnedah.
“In our view Glen Innes is ideally placed in a more central location to access other pre-poll voting services within the Division of New England, including Tenterfield following its establishment as a pre-poll voting location,” Mr Lauw said.
“Whilst we endeavour to achieve a reasonable coverage for our pre-poll voting services, inevitably resourcing must come into consideration, and following the establishment of the Tenterfield location we believed that we had the right number of locations to service the electors of New England (and any electors travelling through the electorate).”
Mr Smith’s was among 3694 fail-to-vote notices issued for the Division of New England following last year’s federal election. Some paid the $20 penalty, as Mr Smith eventually did, while others provided reasons why they did not vote which were then considered by the divisional returning officer.
Voters wishing to appeal to the AEC for local pre-polling facilities for federal elections can contact the AEC’s Armidale office on 132 326 or at PO Box 688, Armidale NSW 2350.
