In 2016 Malcolm Turnbull colluded to benefit the Greens by abolishing “Group Voting Tickets”. The Liberal and National Coalition, with the support of the Greens, removed the power for voters to delegate decisions about their vote to their preferred political party.
The Coalition’s goal was to reduce the power of the cross bench. Labor opposed the changes, arguing the changes were designed to “entrench” the power of the major parties and disadvantage minor parties – and it did exactly that.
Data from that election showed that 7.52% of Senate ballots were exhausted, which means people who failed to number every box had their votes die before counting was finished.
The vast majority of exhausted votes at every election come from ballots cast above the line. Do you vote above the line, and do the bare legal minimum? Or do you number every box – above or below the line?
If you give your first preference to a minor party or independent candidate, the following data from 2016 should alarm you.
88 per cent of all the votes which were exhausted give their first preference to a non-major party candidate. In fact, a quarter of the total votes for minor parties ended up being exhausted!
Most alarmingly, those voters ended up helping elect the Greens by failing to number them last, because the final senate seat is now given to the party or candidate with the biggest fraction of a quota, when all is said and done – and that’s usually the Greens.
It’s fair to say that’s our worst nightmare result for Parliament, yet it was always something they could have helped prevent by simply numbering every box. One in four people who went to the booth and stood up for an alternative to the major party duopoly, and cast their first preference for a smaller, values-aligned group or independent—had their vote die before it could help elect a non-major party Senator.
This isn’t just a statistical curiosity; it’s a catastrophe for genuine political competition – and a gift to the socialist Left.
There’s no reason to expect this broken system will be fixed by the parties who benefit from it.
It’s broken because it pretended to nobly empower people who don’t want the power, who don’t want to control their preferences all the way to the end, and who complain and quit early because preferential voting is complicated.
The solution then is simple – take that power and use it diligently, with a little research and a little help.
You can still vote above the line, but you have to number every box there if you do. This is your non-negotiable duty as a conservative or minor party supporter. It ensures that your vote remains alive in the count, constantly transferring its value to the next preferred, least worst, non-Green candidate until a Senator is elected.
Your vote is a precious gift, and a weapon to be wielded against wickedness. To waste it is a shame, and a gift to the Greens. Do not let your vote die prematurely and accidentally hand a seat to the ideological opponents of faith, family and freedom.
Make a plan for election day by visiting the CAS website, NumberEveryBox.com.au, a trustworthy resource to help you plan your ballot before you go and make voting properly in federal and state elections much easier.
Don’t let your vote be part of the scandalous 25% waste. Use NumberEveryBox.com.au and tell all your (right-thinking) friends about it. Ensure every ballot you cast fights for faith, family and freedom until the very last vote is counted.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Add your comments below…
Dave Pellowe is a Christian political educator & writer who gives priority of philosophy to God’s Word. He founded Church And State ministries in 2016, which has grown to include annual teaching conferences in Canberra, Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart and regional Australia by invitation.
Specialising in what God says about complex ethical and social issues, Dave Pellowe is a sought after guest speaker at churches, Christian schools, TV, radio and podcast interviews and other secular and Christian forums where love of Truth and nonpartisan thinking are valued. [more]
