Independent senate candidates in two states have alleged that the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) staff gave voters incorrect information on how to vote on the senate ballot paper during Australia’s recent federal election.
The independents alleged that AEC staff told voters not to number unnamed boxes above the line, even though those boxes represented independent candidates, which has cost them a significant percentage of votes.
However, the Australia Electoral Commission (AEC) stated that it had re-issued instructions to staff after an initial complaint to ensure they understood what the unnamed boxes meant.
Independent Senate candidates Steve Dickson and Rebecca Lloyd from Queensland and Morgan C. Jonas and Monica Smit from Victoria said they were contacted by pre-poll voters who were told by AEC staff not to number the boxes which had only a letter above the box, but no party name, as those votes wouldn’t count in the election….