The Australian Electoral Commission has said ticks would likely be counted as Yes votes, while a cross would likely not be counted, a decision that has attracted the ire of the federal Coalition.
An AEC spokesperson said that was because on many forms, a cross represents a check mark, which can indicate yes.
“It therefore leaves it open to interpretation or challenge by a scrutineer,” the spokesperson said.
The AEC said the provision had been in place since 1988, throughout federal elections and referendums, and was the accepted legal advice.
“This is not new,” a spokesperson said.
“The AEC does not have any discretion to simply ignore savings provisions. They are a long-standing legislative requirement.”
The spokesperson said in the 1999 referendum, the rate of informal votes was just 0.86 per cent, and of those, many would not have been related to ticks and crosses.
It expected the “vast, vast majority” of voters would follow the instructions.
Didn’t he also say he’d implement The Voice himself if elected? This whilst actively encouraging and contributing to the fear mongering about it. The guy has no values or moral compass.
All sounds fairly reasonable to me.
Not to mention Dutton voted in favour of the referendum bill that actually spelled this out. Is he saying he doesn’t read the things he votes on?
Didn’t he also say he’d implement The Voice himself if elected? This whilst actively encouraging and contributing to the fear mongering about it. The guy has no values or moral compass.