I am so sick and tired of hearing stuff like “If you vote for <insert party here> they are giving their preferences to <insert major party here>. So that’s a vote for <prime ministerial candidate here>!” I’m not sure if I can make this any clearer, but:
NO IT’S NOT
Let’s cover voting basics. In the House of Representatives, you number each box from 1 to n, where n is the number of candidates on the ballot.
So whoever you number 1 is your first preference, number 2 is your second preference and so on. The person who you voted as preference 1 does not decide what happens to your preferences. You do!
In the Senate, you have two options. Option one is that you can put a number 1 above the line.
This means that you will vote for their senate ticket(s). Before every election, each party which has a box above the line tells the Australian Electoral Commission how to distribute their votes. So if you vote above the line, you vote will be determined by the party you voted for. This is the only way in which a party or group can do what they want with your votes.
Option two is to vote below the line. This is where you number each box from 1 to n, where n is the number of senate candidates in your state.
In works much the same way as in the House of Representatives. You decide who gets your first preference, second preference and so on. The person you put as number 1 does not decide what happens with your preferences.
I believe that it’s important to be informed, not scared by faceless people telling you that a vote for someone is a vote for someone else. Decide for yourself who will receive your preferences and number below the line. Or at least research the senate group tickets first. I recommend Antony Green’s guide over on ABC Elections. He also has good information on all this preference stuff and how it works.
Be informed. Don’t be fooled.
ETA: Viv pointed me to this brilliant site called Vote Below The Line! It can help you with deciding how to direct your preferences when voting below the line. It asks who you want to vote for, shows you the preferences that they have and then helps you to change them to suit the way you want to vote. Thanks Viv!
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Hung like a parliament
Two weeks after the election and we still don’t know who will be the next Prime Minister of Australia. We’ve had the Green’s Adam Bandt and independent Andrew Wilkie side with Labor, giving them a 74-73 lead in the race for power. However there are three independents left to make up their minds. So what happens if they split and we end up with 75-75?
I can see a few things that could happen. The first thing that happens in a new parliament is that the speaker is elected. The independents would have agreed to vote with the government on supply and confidence votes, but they could still go against them when voting for the speaker. If a speaker is elected, then the side where the speaker comes from will be down one person, as the speaker only votes in the case of a tie. If there is a tie when voting for the speaker, there is no casting vote so they would have to try another candidate. This is the point that we may find that no speaker can be elected, and therefore parliament is borked and new elections required.
Now lets say that one of the independents get voted in as speaker. This would mean that their vote is now gone, since at the first sitting their would be all 150 members. Whoever that independent member was going to side with no longer has their vote in confidence or supply matters, so the other side would be able to form government. Not very stable government though, but it would be something.
So what happens if we get past that point? Well the government of the day would have to make sure that every member of their party was there. No one could go on leave or on trips during sitting days, as that one vote will make a difference. This is basically untenable for anything other than short periods, as at the first opportunity the opposition will force a vote of no confidence. The independents might see this as political gamesmanship and side with the government to block it, even if they didn’t initially side with that party. Then again, they could raise the no confidence motion if they feel that they aren’t being given a fair shake of the sauce bottle.
Interesting times ahead I would say. I think we have to hope that there is a 77-73 final result and that the three independents all go with Labor. It’s the only way we will get some stable government. Bob Katter is looking likely to go with the Coalition though, so we could be in for a rough ride yet.