DistantNews
🇦🇺 Australia /Elections & Politics

Uncounted SA Votes Number 'in the Order of Dozens', Attorney-General Says

From ABC Australia · (1d ago) English Critical tone

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • South Australia's Attorney-General confirmed that a newly discovered batch of uncounted votes from the March state election numbers in the "order of dozens."
  • The Electoral Commission (ECSA) stated the ballot papers were from the electorates of Enfield and Newland, but did not specify when, where, or how many were found, or how they were overlooked.
  • This discovery follows a previous incident where over 600 uncounted ballot papers were found after a seat had already been declared, prompting an independent review of the election process.

South Australia is once again grappling with revelations of uncounted votes, this time a smaller batch described as being in the "order of dozens" by Attorney-General Kyam Maher. While the Electoral Commission of South Australia (ECSA) confirmed the discovery, details remain scarce, with the commission only stating the ballot papers originated from the electorates of Enfield and Newland. The lack of clarity on when, where, how many, and why these votes were missed is fueling public frustration and disappointment, sentiments shared by the Attorney-General himself.

Yesterday the Electoral Commission let us know that there'd been a further discovery of a small number — I understand it's in the order of dozens of votes in the electorates of Enfield and Newland.

— Kyam Maher, SA Attorney-GeneralThis quote confirms the existence of newly discovered uncounted votes and provides an estimate of their quantity.

This latest incident follows closely on the heels of a more significant discovery last week, where over 600 uncounted ballot papers were found from a pre-poll booth in Port Pirie. This earlier revelation only came to light after the seat of Narungga had been formally declared for a One Nation candidate, necessitating another count that ultimately confirmed the result. Such occurrences raise serious questions about the integrity and efficiency of the electoral process.

I will expect and I think the public will expect to know more about exactly what's happened. I've got to say I share a lot of the disappointment, frustration that … many voters will have shared.

— Kyam Maher, SA Attorney-GeneralThis quote expresses the Attorney-General's shared disappointment and the public's expectation for more information.

In response to these ongoing issues, the state government has committed to an independent review of the election, intended to be conducted at "arm's length" from ECSA. However, election analyst Antony Green points out that the ECSA's statements continue to be "very short on facts," leaving many unanswered questions. The ambiguity surrounding the nature of the votes (ordinary, absentee, or postal) and their exact numbers, coupled with the delayed disclosures, erodes public trust. As Green notes, "Elections rely on trust, and so I'm always very cautious before I say … the Electoral Commission has got something wrong, but the fact that this stuff comes out in dribs and drabs doesn't look good."

We've asked for more information and I've very strongly suggested they might want to triple-check everything.

— Kyam Maher, SA Attorney-GeneralThis quote indicates the Attorney-General's proactive steps to get more details and ensure thoroughness from the Electoral Commission.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog