Gail On Tech

Make your Senate vote count on August 21

With the Australian federal election less than three weeks away, it’s time to really get to grips with what you’re going to do with your vote on the day.

Most people’s focus when they go to vote is on who they want to represent them locally, so their Senate vote often takes a bit of a back seat — the form is so big, they don’t know who most of the candidates are or what they stand for.

Consequently, most people vote ‘above the line’ and their preferences are then distributed according to how their primary party of choice determines. However, that can mean that you inadvertently vote for candidates that you have a fundamental beef with. For instance, how many Labor voters knew that they were going to deliver a Senate seat to Family First’s Steven Fielding when they voted in the last federal election?

Senate results can have a huge influence on how the country is governed after an election, as we’ve seen in previous situations where independents and minor parties have actually held the balance of power. So, don’t underestimate the value of your upper house vote.

Of course, as already mentioned, the Senate ballot paper can be a bit daunting, with so many boxes to number — just folding it up small enough to fit in the ballot box is challenge enough! And if you do decide to vote below the line, trying to remember who’s who in the zoo is next to impossible.

However, if you want to exercise your democratic right to vote the full ticket, there’s a Web site that can help minimise the hassle of voting ‘below the line’ on election day.

On the Below The Line site, you can sort out your Senate preferences before you go to cast your vote. First up, select the state you live in, then the party you intend to vote for. You can then see how your preferred party intends to distribute its preferences and, if those preferences conflict with yours, you can rearrange the numbering accordingly, then download those choices and print them out to take with you on election day.

Below The Line [via Lifehacker and Gizmodo]