New Senate voting system

[serfty]

ME? I have decided to vote 1 to 12 ... with a candidate/party unlikely to get 4% First Preferences getting #1 - It's my #2 who will get it.

So this way I don't get to vote against a particular candidate/group by putting them last - this way I don't vote for any of them!

 

[JohnK]

Regardless of how I vote the result is always the same. Someone wants to screw you one way or another.

Voting is a waste of time.

 

[PLANT]

Gee it's a tough one this year......Sex party or Pirate party
Oooh ah to Eye Eye captain.

 

[whatmeworry]

Not to get too political but the 'Health Party' is bunch of anti vaxxer loonies, so do some research behind the names behind the smaller parties.

Here is a good review of most of the smaller parties in Victoria.

Who the hell are all these people on the Victorian Senate ballot paper? – decryption rants here

 

[Skyring]

Regardless of how I vote the result is always the same. Someone wants to screw you one way or another.

Yeah, but it's nice to have a say in who gets to do the screwing, surely?

 

[JohnK]

Yeah, but it's nice to have a say in who gets to do the screwing, surely?

Nah. Leave it to people who care. I have better things to do with my time than waste it on politics.

 

[whatmeworry]

Remember you can bring a pen with you for voting.

 

[Hvr]

Yeah, but it's nice to have a say in who gets to do the screwing, surely?

And if you're in a marginal electorate you can get some lubricant in the form of pork barrelling.

 

[Simo]

We did a postal vote and the envelope turned on Friday morning in an express envelope...

Voted and now in mail..

We voted Sex Party and Pirate party... Let the fun begin...

 

[whatmeworry]

This is how one folds the senate ballot papers these days.

 

[Simo]

Looks like we are in for another 3 years of turmoil in our parliament

 

[moa999]

12-13 cross-bench senators most likely as I go to bed..

However likely to be in significant blocks - NXT and One Nation possibly 4 each.
If the Libs scrape over the line, both blocks are progressive/right leaning and it might not be so toxic.

But still a lot of water to pass under the lower house bridge.

 

[codash1099]

Not to get too political but the 'Health Party' is bunch of anti vaxxer loonies, so do some research behind the names behind the smaller parties.

Here is a good review of most of the smaller parties in Victoria.

Who the hell are all these people on the Victorian Senate ballot paper? – decryption rants here

When you look through that list, you've got to wonder why MT and his cohorts (a few less of them now) didn't do something to make it harder for these fringe groups to stand: increase required membership numbers, increase deposits required for example.

(that should stir a few people here :!::mrgreen: )

 

[whatmeworry]

12-13 cross-bench senators most likely as I go to bed..

However likely to be in significant blocks - NXT and One Nation possibly 4 each.
If the Libs scrape over the line, both blocks are progressive/right leaning and it might not be so toxic.

But still a lot of water to pass under the lower house bridge.

About 10-12 on the cross benches. LNP would near about 9 out of that lot. So negotiations with Pauline Hanson nearly every vote.

Labor would probably only need the votes of the Greens and NXT.

[h=2]Pauline Hanson's wish list:[/h]

• Zero-net migration
• Royal commission into banking sector
• Royal commission into Islam
• No new mosques
• Referendum of gay marriage
• Address the number of workers on 457 visas
• Against the sale of Kidman station, and foreign ownership generally

 

[Warks]

Something I noticed when voting this year was how long people spent in the booths while I waited. I passed the dragon (they are not just in lounges!) and then stood and waited for a good five minutes behind only a few people while the booths remained occupied. I can only think that they were struggling to allocate 6 above the line or 12 below the line votes. Before it was just 1 to 7 (or more or less) on the green paper) and then a 1 above the line. The struggle was probably deciding who they hated the least down to the most. Either that or they were drawing willies.

cough drawings on Federal Election ballot papers: Political statement or fun and games?

 

[BillytheFIsh]

Something I noticed when voting this year was how long people spent in the booths while I waited. I passed the dragon (they are not just in lounges!) and then stood and waited for a good five minutes behind only a few people while the booths remained occupied. I can only think that they were struggling to allocate 6 above the line or 12 below the line votes. Before it was just 1 to 7 (or more or less) on the green paper) and then a 1 above the line. The struggle was probably deciding who they hated the least down to the most. Either that or they were drawing willies.

cough drawings on Federal Election ballot papers: Political statement or fun and games?

Yep, noticed this as well. People who went to vote above the line because that's what they've always done probably didn't realise it would be quicker and easier to vote below the line this election because they'd only have to pick 2-3 parties for 12 numbers below, rather than 6 above.

 

[medhead]

Between a school reunion on Saturday and being sick (a real cold) since then I haven't seen much about the election. I did turn on insiders on Sunday morning, but not much went in due to the non-cold aftermath of the reunion.

anyway, just checked the senate result. Sad to see that my number 1 didn't go too well with first preferences:
[TABLE="class: table table-bordered, width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #666666"]ALI, Mohammad[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #666666"]Independent[/TD]
[TD="class: row-right, bgcolor: #666666, align: right"]29[/TD]
[TD="class: row-right, bgcolor: #666666, align: right"]0.00[/TD]
[TD="class: row-right, bgcolor: #666666, align: right"]0.0005[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
But he did better than a number of other parties. In fact it looks like only ALP, Liberals, Greens, Shooters, one nation, xenophon, family first and Mature Australia did better. As Mature Australia held position 1, I'm going to discount their result.

Now to track the preference flow.

 

[whatmeworry]

Good on Tasmanians for voting below the line and defying the major parties selections.

As I said before the election, select your preferred senator at 1 or 2 and then select independents/minor parties before going back to the major parties to ensure they use your preferred candidate.

Tasmanian voters are defying party allegiances and going below the line to vote for individual candidates for the Senate, signalling a missed opportunity for the major parties who preference candidates according to party politics.
Incumbent Labor Senator Lisa Singh won nearly 20 per cent of Tasmanian Labor's below the line first preference votes, compared to 70 per cent of Labor voters in Tasmania who voted above the line for the Labor ticket, according to the latest figure from the Australian Electoral Commission.
This is despite Senator Singh being given what many commentators called an "unwinnable 6th spot". The first preference votes for Senator Singh was higher than those of any other Tasmanian Labor candidates for the Senate.
The Labor party demoted Senator Singh in favour of all the other Labor candidates, including a relatively unknown union official, John Short.
The figure also shows so far, 13 per cent of Liberal voters went below the line to vote for Richard Colbeck, ahead of Eric Abetz, who won 8 per cent of Liberal votes. The Liberal party as a whole received more than 70 per cent of over-the-line votes from Liberal supporters.

Read more: Election 2016: Tassie voters defy party politics for Lisa Singh, Richard Colbeck | afr.com
​

"The most interesting variation is with people who put number one on the Liberal party ticket above the line — their number twos go absolutely anywhere," Dr Bonham told the ABC.
"Quite a lot go to Labor, some go to left wing parties — they are just all over the place.
"Voters are identifying themselves in ways we didn't think of."

Election 2016: Tasmanians' Senate votes 'all over the place' - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

 

[eastwest101]

Between a school reunion on Saturday and being sick (a real cold) since then I haven't seen much about the election. I did turn on insiders on Sunday morning,.....

medhead - similar position to you as I have been "off the grid" post election but I was wondering if the AEC are counting all House of Reps seats first before they commit resources to counting Senate seats ( with the convoluted preference flows ). Am I right in assuming they need a lower house seats all counted so someone can form government before they worry too much about getting legislation through the Senate?

 

[CaviAck]

medhead - similar position to you as I have been "off the grid" post election but I was wondering if the AEC are counting all House of Reps seats first before they commit resources to counting Senate seats ( with the convoluted preference flows ). Am I right in assuming they need a lower house seats all counted so someone can form government before they worry too much about getting legislation through the Senate?

They count both congruently (albeit start on the Senate later and with less gusto as the House of Reps it seems), as can be seen by the vote counts coming through on the AEC website. It's just that no one really gives it any coverage as the Senate doesn't form the leading portion of Government.