It was Mark Latham, former leader of the ALP federal that suggested voters cast an informal vote.
A comrade informed WBT that "Alberts protest was slightly more subtle than the latham argument that you don't need to fill in the ballot, so just hand in a blank one.
My memory is that this is in fact illegal, and that the requirement is that every square must be filled with a number. Otherwise it is not a legal vote, and as such you are strictly breaking the law.
However there is no stipulation that the numbers must be consecutive, so that I think Alberts argument was that you should fill out every square (as legally bound to do) but put a 1 in each square, or something similar. This was supposedly quite "legal".
Also not that the Tasmanian Dams case in the High Court established that to write "No Dams" on the ballot paper does not negate your vote so long as your voting intention is still clear. The writing of the words 'No Dams' is strictly illegal however you can't be prosecuted because your vote is confidential and no link is permitted between your name on the eleectrial roll and the vote you cast.
It was Mark Latham, former leader of the ALP federal that suggested voters cast an informal vote.
A comrade informed WBT that "Alberts protest was slightly more subtle than the latham argument that you don't need to fill in the ballot, so just hand in a blank one.
My memory is that this is in fact illegal, and that the requirement is that every square must be filled with a number. Otherwise it is not a legal vote, and as such you are strictly breaking the law.
However there is no stipulation that the numbers must be consecutive, so that I think Alberts argument was that you should fill out every square (as legally bound to do) but put a 1 in each square, or something similar. This was supposedly quite "legal".
Also not that the Tasmanian Dams case in the High Court established that to write "No Dams" on the ballot paper does not negate your vote so long as your voting intention is still clear. The writing of the words 'No Dams' is strictly illegal however you can't be prosecuted because your vote is confidential and no link is permitted between your name on the eleectrial roll and the vote you cast.
Ian Curr
August 2010