The result of the upper house election in New South Wales could be contested after 19,000 early voters cast their votes on electronic ballot papers that left off the names of two of the parties above the line. The Animal Justice party and Outdoor Recreation party were left out on the electronic voting site iVote. About 19,000 people cast their vote before the error was noticed, but the NSW Electoral Commission has declared their votes will still be valid. Online voting was suspended for about five hours on Tuesday when the error was discovered.
Richard Carroll, from the commission, said it was still possible for people to vote for those parties as the candidates’ names and party were printed below the line.
“Nobody’s vote has been changed from what they wanted to vote for, all the votes are valid, but anyone can go back and check again if it makes them feel better,” he said.
“This assumes that people were actually voting for those groups, which is not necessarily the case.”
Full Article: NSW poll result could be challenged after parties are left off electronic ballot paper | Australia news | The Guardian.