General News
3 April, 2024
Election issues to come under the microscope
QUEUING, ballot paper shortages and other related election day issues will be examined in an expanded in-depth external review commissioned by the Electoral Commission Queensland (ECQ).
Nous Group was commissioned by ECQ in November last year to evaluate the local government elections and provide recommendations on areas for operational improvements.
Following election day, the ECQ discussed expanding the scope of the evaluation with Nous Group to include specific focus on known election day issues such as queuing and ballot paper shortages and other related issues.
It is expected the full evaluation will be completed by mid-year.
It will inform the ECQ’s report on delivery of the elections which is scheduled to be finalised for public release prior to the October State election.
Premier Steven Miles said issues had come to the fore during the local government election on 16 March and needed to be tackled before October.
“We have heard from some of our Queensland communities that voting in this year’s local government and by-elections was far from ideal,” he said.
“Long lines, not enough ballot papers - and other issues that made voting confusing or difficult - are all things that really shouldn’t be happening in 2024 and we owe it to Queenslanders to make sure the ECQ gets this right.
“I look forward to seeing the outcomes of the external review.”
In addition to the external review, information will be gathered by reports from auditors working in the field on election day, data on voting trends and polling booth demand and a post-election survey of voters and local governments following the Easter period.
