THE Australian Electoral Commission has acknowledged an issue at one of its polling places in Flinders during the 3 May federal election, where an AEC employee allegedly instructed voters how they should cast their vote.
A letter to the AEC seen by The News detailed the issue where, at the Bayview Church polling booth at Rosebud South, voters were instructed by an AEC worker to place the number seven next to the box of Trumpet of Patriots candidate Jason Smart as “he had pulled out of the election”. It is understood the information was being conveyed to voters as they queued to vote.
The letter stated “Jason Smart had pulled out of the race but as his name was still on the ballot paper he was, according to federal legislation, a valid candidate” and further that “as a result of how close the election is in Flinders, his preference flow could have had a significant impact on the final outcome”. The letter requested that an investigation be launched. Smart announced his withdrawal on 21 April after a spat with Trumpet of Patriots’ head office over preferences, a day prior to the commencment of early voting.
A response to the letter from the State Manager and Australian Electoral Officer for Victoria, Nye Coffey, stated that the AEC was taking the complaint seriously. “The AEC became aware of the issue on polling day and took all immediate and necessary steps to educate staff about the correct processes. It is our understanding that following this intervention there were no further incidents,” Coffey wrote. “We are commited to learning from this and ensuring unwavering integrity and impartiality across our workforce.”
The News asked the Australian Electoral Commission if any further action would be taken after the acknowledgement of the issue at the Flinders electorate polling booth. It received a statement that “the AEC investigated the issue outlined at Rosebud South polling place and is confident it was quickly identified and corrected on election day, and did not occur in other polling locations in the Division of Flinders”. “Per the AEC’s virtual tally room, the final margin for Flinders was 5,257. Rosebud South polling place took a total of 1,104 votes.”
The seat of Flinders was a close three-candidate-preferred (3CP) contest with Independent Ben Smith and Labor’s Sarah Race battling it out to see who would contest the seat on a two-candidate-preferred (2CP) basis against Liberal Zoe McKenzie. Smith ended up ahead of Race in the 3CP contest (Flinders down to final two, The News 19/5/25), with McKenzie the eventual winner in the 2CP battle.
First published in the Mornington News – 1 July 2025
