Clive Palmer demands voting review amid counting ‘irregularities’ in Fairfax
Palmer United Party leader Clive Palmer is calling for a full review of Australia’s voting system, saying irregularities could cost him the Queensland seat of Fairfax.
Mr Palmer says he has discovered voting and counting irregularities in the electorate on the Sunshine Coast.
Palmer scrutineer Jenny Wellington has described the vote recount in Fairfax as chaotic, with little or no security.
She says votes are strewn across tables and the floor at the Maroochydore office and some ballot papers have been photocopied.
Mrs Wellington says ballot papers were left unattended during lunch yesterday, raising concerns about security.
“Now this is not the returning officer’s fault because there is so much absolute chaos there – I couldn’t believe it,” she said.
“There’s no organisation in that there’s no table here for that, there’s no table there for that.
“It’s just tables littered everywhere full of votes, votes piled everywhere.
“Anyone could do anything – it’s like a Third World country – it’s just amazing.”
Mr Palmer has requested a list of all officials who signed the ballot papers and a specimen copy of their initials.
“So we can check that the ballots that are cast are validly cast and they won’t supply us with that,” he said.
“We’ve found in the ballot box now are ballot papers that are not initialled at all and that these votes have been counted against us.
“One thing about the votes being against you, but it also indicates someone is tampering with the boxes, because the only ballot papers that should be in the boxes are ones that were initialled anyway.”
The ABC has contacted the Australian Electoral Commission
Photo & article sourced from ABC News
Weather you like Clive Palmer or not is irrelevant, the accusation if proven throws a rather large question to the validity of the Australian Electoral system.
I don’t claim to fully understand the preference quota that’s used here in Australia, but I have questioned just how fair it is from the first time I was eligible to vote.
It will be interesting to see what the outcome of this will be, is it just that Clive Palmer is just a sore loser (although the last I heard he was looking good to win the seat of Fairfax)
Posted from WordPress for Android