“That sounds dodgy”: Ben Fordham slams “bizarre” Voice to Parliament voting rules
Ben Fordham has slammed the “bizarre” rules Aussies will have to abide by when casting their vote in the Voice to Parliament referendum.
The confusion over the rules for the upcoming vote was sparked when the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) suggested that ticks will be counted as Yes votes but crosses will not be counted as No votes.
On referendum day, which is widely expected to be October 14th, Aussies will be asked to write either “yes” or “no” in English on the ballot paper to the question, “A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?”
On Wednesday, AEC commissioner Tom Rogers was asked by Sky News host Tom Connell how Australians will be asked to vote on the ballot.
“It’s a bit simpler than a normal election, it’s a yes or no — are you accepting anything inside the box?” Connell said. “A tick, a cross, a yes, a number one? How broad will you allow this, given the intention of people is going to be pretty clear, you’d think?”
Mr Rogers said it was a “great question”, saying, “Now there are some savings provisions, but I need to be very clear with people – when we look at that, it is likely that a tick will be accepted as a formal vote for yes, but a cross will not be accepted as a formal vote.”
“We’re being very clear with people, part of our education campaign will talk about this, the materials in the polling place so people can look at it. But please, make sure you write ‘yes’ or ‘no’ clearly on the ballot paper in English. That way you can assure yourself that your vote will count.”
Ben Fordham went on to slam Rogers’ comments, saying the ticks and crosses system would favour the Yes vote.
“How bizarre,” he said. “A tick counts as yes but a cross does not count as no. That sounds dodgy. If you’re going to count the ticks, you’ve got to count the crosses, don’t you? Otherwise the yes camp has an advantage. Surely he would see the unlevel playing field here. But apparently not.”
Fordham said the AEC “has one job”.
“We’re giving them $365 million to hold the referendum,” he said. “Tom Rogers is on more than the Prime Minister, he earns $600,000 a year. How hard is it to get this right?”
Opposition leader Peter Dutton also slammed the voting rules, urging Anthony Albanese to draft legislation to make it clear what will be accepted on the voting ballot.
“It’s completely outrageous, to be honest,” he told 2GB.
“I mean, if a tick counts for Yes then a cross should count for No. It’s as clear as that. Otherwise it gives a very, very strong advantage to the Yes case. I just think Australians want a fair vote. They want to be informed.”
Image credits: 2GB / AEC