AEC statement: Mobile polling in Western Australian Senate election at RAAFA Merriwa Estate

The AEC said today that an incident had occurred earlier this week during mobile polling of residents at the RAAFA Merriwa Estate.

An AEC mobile polling team attended the residential aged care facility on Monday 31 March and identified that there was a problem with the construction of the ballot box in its possession. The team applied a temporary solution, however the container used was later found to be not fully secure in accordance with the requirements of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918.

The AEC has since obtained legal advice about this matter, and those affected voters are considered to have not voted in this election. Accordingly, the AEC is able to remedy this situation and protect the franchise of those voters by enabling them to validly cast their vote. An AEC mobile team will make arrangements to assist the affected voters as soon as practicable.

The AEC’s prime concern is naturally to protect the franchise of the residents affected. The AEC apologises for any inconvenience to the residents and others affected by this event. All candidates in the 2014 WA Senate election are being advised of this issue.