WA Election Process Still Flawed: Clive Palmer

Media release

The West Australian Senate re-election is in danger of becoming another farce for the Australian Electoral Commission which has merely glossed over any meaningful reform of the voting system, says the federal leader of the Palmer United Party, Clive Palmer.

“The system WA voters will face in the Senate re-election on April 5 is still flawed and there are no guarantees we won’t have another debacle on our hands,” Mr Palmer said.

“The AEC is persisting with an unfair and outdated system which makes a mockery of the democratic process and threatens to once again put the democratic outcome at risk in WA.’’

Mr Palmer has renewed his call for urgent introduction of measures to reduce electoral fraud such as ensuring voters are registered with proper identification and doing away with the antiquated pencil and paper system.

“It is absurd to me that you do not need to show identification when voting in this country,” he said.

“There are no checks and balances to stop people voting at multiple booths, or registering a postal vote and then also voting in person.”

Mr Palmer said tighter security measures were required to protect votes, with the current system of using “cardboard ballot boxes and pieces of string” making our election system a joke.

He has also called for tighter scrutineering at pre-polling and computerised cross checks with birth, deaths and marriages registries to reduce voter fraud.

“We are living in the computer age yet we have an archaic voting system which threatens democracy,’’ Mr Palmer said.

“The AEC has only glossed over a review of its processes and there is nothing to say the Senate re-election won’t be another disaster. The people of WA deserve better.”

Ends