Detectives remove items after the raid on the city offices. Photo: Jason SouthPolice have raided the city offices of a Melbourne Council candidate, dramatically escalating investigations into suspected vote-rigging ahead of this weekend's election.
Azeezur Rahaman, a candidate for the upcoming Melbourne City Council elections. Photo: Jason SouthThe allegations of vote rigging are backed up by anecdotal evidence from poll workers who have been reporting that when the door knocked public housing tenants voting papers had been collected from tenants with African and Indian decent and presumably posted. This has raised ongoing concern as to the probity of postal voting.
Mr Anthony van der Craats, Systems Analyst and Independent Candidate in the City Council election, has called on the returning officer to facilitate the proper scrutiny of the ballot by undertaking a preliminary sort of ballot papers by primary vote as is required by the Local Government Act.
A preliminary sort will enable scrutineers to monitor the ballot and detect if there is common handwriting on ball papers favouring a particular candidate. There is concern that the VEC will seek to cut corners by not undertaking a preliminary sort. Without a a preliminary sorting of ballot papers prior top the data-entry of below the line votes it is impossible for scrutineers to properly observe the counting of the votes
2 comments:
Bill Lang
Returning Officer
City of Melbourne 2012 Municipal Elections
Dear Bill
In view of recent reports and allegations of improper conduct in respect to the casting of ballots.
I wish to formally request that you undertake a preliminary sorting of ballot papers into groups based on the allocation of primary preferences in accordance with Schedule 3 clause 11b(4) of the Victorian local Government Act 1989
Victorian Local Government Act 1989 - Schedule 3 Clause 11B
(4) The returning officer upon receipt of the several sealed parcels from any authorised person and with the assistance of any authorised persons and in the presence and subject to the inspection of any 1 scrutineer, if present, appointed by each candidate but of no other person must-
(a) open all the sealed parcels containing used ballot-papers; and
(b) arrange the ballot-papers together with the allowed postal ballot-papers, if any, by placing in a separate parcel all those on which a first preference is indicated for the same candidate and preference votes are also duly given for all the remaining candidates, omitting ballot-papers which are rejected; and
(c) ascertain-
(i) the number of first preference votes given for each candidate; and
(ii) the total number of first preference votes.
…
I have requested scrutineers to scrutinise in detail every ballot paper with an above-the-line or below-the-line primary preference belonging to the “Community and Business Leadership” group.
In order to facilitate this request, in an orderly fashion, ballot papers should be presorted into parcels based on the primary vote prior to any data-entry of ballot preferences so as to facilitate the proper, open and transparent scrutiny of all ballot papers.
Refusal to meet this request would seriously undermine public confidence in the probity and scrutiny of the ballot
Yours faithfully
Anthony van der Craats
Candidate – City of Melbourne 2012 Municipal Elections
Cc Candidates, Members of Parliament (Electoral Matters Committee), Melbourne CEO, Media
What about attendance voting (opt in- opt-out), would stop the rorts!!! has ther been a costing of attendance verses postal voting
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