New party steals votes from South Australians
A newly formed Australian political party has taken possession of three elected positions in Australian parliaments, despite never having faced the voters. Earlier this year Australian Senator Cory Bernardi walked … Continue reading
Legal ruling means original voter ballots will determine new Senator
The new Senator to replace Bob Day, who left the Australian Senate late last year, will be determined by a recount of the ballots from the July 2016 election, after … Continue reading
Who gets to choose – voters or party officials?
A vacancy in the Australian Senate exists – for one of the 12 representatives elected by voters in the state of South Australia – and the nation’s High Court will … Continue reading
So … Who did put Family First?
Political conservative Bob Day resigned from the Australian Senate late in 2016, but the intriguing history of his encounters with the electoral system have left a legacy of voting system issues … Continue reading
Western Australian election shows weaknesses of Australian electoral laws
Counting has finished in the state election for Western Australia. The result is a pair of only partially satisfactory democratic assemblies. Western Australia has a fairly standard form of Australian … Continue reading
Removal from elected office takes out innocent colleague
A Melbourne City Councilor, one of nine originally elected in last year’s election under the single transferable vote system (STV), has been removed from office after a technical – and … Continue reading
Struggle over Melbourne City election countback
A complex legal dispute is underway about the proper manner to replace a Melbourne City Councillor, initially declared to be elected in 2016 but later to discovered to be ineligible to run. The … Continue reading
Unfair voting system in Australia’s West
Voters in the Australian state of Western Australia are about to elect a Legislative Council using a built-in mechanism to bias the election in favour of non-urban voters. Voters go … Continue reading
Northern Irish well-represented
The Northern Ireland Assembly, re-elected last week, is one of the most representative legislatures in the world, with over 82% of those who voted represented by their preferred political party. … Continue reading
Unionists suffer major losses in Northern Ireland
Irish unionists have suffered a near-disastrous election in Northern Ireland, losing 16 seats in the Assembly, and coming very close to conceding the post of First Minister to their main nationalist opponents, … Continue reading
On Elections 