A new voting option will be available to Australians subjecting to COVID-19 isolation as a confirmed case or close contact on election day. The Australian Electoral Commission has said it would introduce a telephone voting system for those who could not go to polling places on May 21. “We are working on a telephone voting option, which will be a first,” Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers told ABC Radio on April 11. However, to access this “emergency” measure, voters missing pre-polling and postal vote options will be required to make a declaration that they are subject to a health order. The commissioner said the declaration would prevent people from “gumming up” the system. “If we have to read out the Senate ballot paper for people in telephone voting, it’s going to take some time. So I urge people to only use that if they are actually subject to that health order,” …