Riverina MP and former deputy PM Michael McCormack says anyone not willing to cast a legitimate vote has no right to complain about the outcome of the election.

In short:

A high number of informal votes in a rural NSW electorate with a record number of candidates has been labelled “shameful” by the region’s MP.

By May 6 more than 11,000 informal votes had been recorded in the Riverina electorate, accounting for more than 10 per cent of the voter turnout.

What’s next?

Riverina MP Michael McCormack and political scientist Dominic O’Sullivan say the voting system should be reformed.

  • Tenderizer@aussie.zoneEnglish
    3·
    15 days ago

    More people should spoil their ballot instead of doing the donkey vote. If they want to express disinterest, the former is better than the latter.

    • Zagorath@aussie.zoneEnglish
      1·
      15 days ago

      Donkey votes can be a valid vote politically, depending on the draw and the individual’s political beliefs. I gave what could be considered a donkey vote in the 2024 Qld state election. (“Could be considered” because I’ve seen one definition that says either [1, 2, 3, 4] or [4, 3, 2, 1] can be called a donkey vote, and the latter is what I did.) It just so happened that in my electorate, candidates were drawn in order from most conservative to most progressive.