West Australians could go back to the polls as early as March after the High Court could not declare who was elected to the Senate because of lost votes. The Australian Electoral Commission petitioned the court for the election to be declared void, after it lost 1375 votes during a recount for the September 2013 election. The initial count declared the Liberals and Labor winners of the first four of six seats. The final two seats went to Zhenya Dio Wang of the Palmer United Party and Labor Senator Louise Pratt. But the recount narrowly gave the final two seats to the Australian Sports Party’s Wayne Dropulich and the Greens’ Senator Scott Ludlam.
Justice Kenneth Hayne found on Tuesday that Senator Ludlam and Mr Dropulich were not duly elected because the number of ballot papers lost far exceeded the margin between the candidates.
But he could not declare who was elected.
“All parties rightly accepted that, if the court declares that Mr Dropulich and Senator Ludlam were not duly elected, and cannot declare who was duly elected, the only relief appropriate is for the election to be declared void,” the judge said.
Full Article: Fresh Senate poll likely in WA | Perth Now.