‘Chaotic, stressful’: Shocking Queensland council election fails revealed
Queenslanders voting in this year’s council election shunned the pandemic-era early voting trend, with half a million more voters turning up on polling day than expected, an independent review has found.
The unexpected crunch on March 16 forced voters to queue for up to three hours, with staff at “a few polling places” saying some passed out while waiting.
The Electoral Commission of Queensland was caught out by long queues and a shortage of staff and ballot papers at many booths.Credit: Simon Schluter
On election day, several polling places had three times more voters than expected, leading to long, disorganised queues, frustration, and a “chaotic, stressful experience for staff”, according to a report by Nous Group that was released on Tuesday.
Some electoral staff said they worked 12- to 16-hour days without breaks or access to food and water.
And a small number of polling places temporarily ran out of ballot papers, leaving voters stuck in queues, unable to vote at their preferred place, or prompted to abandon voting entirely.
This year, 45 per cent of all votes were cast on election day. The Electoral Commission of Queensland had expected 35 per cent.
Some electoral staff said they worked up to 16-hour days without breaks or access to food and water.Credit: Jono Searle/Getty Images
Commissioner Pat Vidgen said the forecast had been based on trend data and modelling of voter behaviour in recent Queensland and interstate elections.
The report found evidence of ballot paper shortages in at least 39 polling places across eight council areas, while at least 18 polling places ran out at some point during the day.
The longest a booth had to be closed due to ballot paper shortages was two hours, but a small number ran out a short time before 6pm, leaving voters with few chances to have their say elsewhere.
But the report’s authors said it was unlikely that the voting problems led to incorrect candidates being elected.
Vidgen acknowledged the shift in voter behaviour placed extra pressure on workers and resources on election day – particularly in areas with large populations – and affected the voting experience for some people.
The report, however, found people who voted early were broadly satisfied with their experience, and there was an opportunity for ECQ to consider ways to drive more people to early voting instead of casting their vote on election day.
Vidgen said voting in a council election – with 343 separate electoral contests to elect 578 councillors and mayors across 77 local government areas – was different to the upcoming October state election, which would involve just 93 contests.
But he said measures outlined in the report’s recommendations would be in place by then.