Minor parties are upset over proposed electoral changes that could restrict the involvement of small or fringe political parties in upcoming federal elections. Last week, Ben Morton, the assistant minister for electoral matters, introduced four Bills to Parliament aimed at reforming the electoral process. One of the new Bills would see the requirement for membership numbers raised from 500 to 1,500 for all political parties. “The bill amends the Electoral Act to ensure that registered political parties are built on a genuine foundation of community support,” Morton said during the second reading speech for the Electoral Legislation Amendment (Party Registration Integrity) Bill 2021, “It does this by increasing the minimum membership requirements for non-parliamentary parties from 500 members to 1,500 members.” Parties would have three months to prove that they have 1,500 members nationally. Another proposed amendment to “minimise the risk that a voter may be confused” or misled would …