After a successful appeal by the Greens and the Australian Sports Party, all the above-the-line ballot papers in WA will be recounted. As the result currently stands, Palmer United Party (PUP) candidate Zhenya Wang and Labor’s Louise Pratt have won the last two West Australian Senate seats, while sitting Greens Senator Scott Ludlam has narrowly lost out. The WA Electoral Officer Peter Kramer initially refused the Greens’ request for a recount, but an appeal to the Electoral Commissioner has overturned that decision. All the ‘above-the-line’ votes cast in Western Australia will be recounted, Peter Kramer says that is just under 1.3 million ballot papers.
Mr Kramer says the commission will have to lease premises and hire 100-150 people to conduct the recount, which he estimates will take about three weeks.
He says there is likely to be heavy scrutiny by all interested parties of the recount. “I would think so, but that’s part of the wonderful part of our process,” he said.
Full Article: Electoral Commission to recount over a million WA senate votes – ABC Perth – Australian Broadcasting Corporation.