2nd Annual Report - Tasmanian Electoral Commission

2nd Annual Report2006–2007

Level 2 Telstra Centre

70 Collins Street

Hobart Tasmania 7000

Mail GPO Box 300, Hobart Tasmania 7001

Phone (03) 6233 3749

Fax (03) 6224 0217

Email [email protected]

Web www.electoral.tas.gov.au

Second Annual Report 2006−2007

To TheHonourableDonaldGeorgeWing,PresidentoftheLegislativeCounciland

TheHonourableMichaelPolley,SpeakeroftheHouseofAssembly

WehavethehonourtosubmitthesecondreportoftheTasmanianElectoralCommissionforpresentationtotheParliamentpursuanttotheprovisionsofsection13oftheElectoral Act 2004.

Thereportcoverstheperiodfrom1July2006to30June2007.

Yourssincerely

RichardBingham BruceTaylor LizGillamCHAIRPERSON ELECTORALCOMMISSIONER MEMBER

13November2007

TasmanianElectoralCommission

AnnualReport2006–07

ISSN1834-2981

PrintedbyThePrintingAuthorityofTasmania

Thisreportcanbedownloadedinpdfformatatwww.electoral.tas.gov.au

Table of Contents

Chairperson’s Introduction ...................................................................................... 1

Electoral Commissioner’s Review ............................................................................ 2

About this Report ..................................................................................................... 3

About the Tasmanian Electoral Commission .......................................................... 3

Formation ........................................................................................................... 3

Functions and powers ....................................................................................... 3

Responsibilities of the Commission and the Commissioner .......................... 4

Approvals, appointments and determinations ............................................... 4

Legislation ................................................................................................................. 5

Legislative changes ........................................................................................... 5

Significant Events of 2006–07 .................................................................................. 6

Legislative Council elections ............................................................................ 6

House of Assembly elections ............................................................................ 8

Local government elections .............................................................................. 8

Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania elections .............................................. 8

Assistance to other State electoral authorities .............................................. 8

Assisting the United Nations in Nepal ............................................................. 9

Other elections and ballots ............................................................................... 9

Education and electoral promotion ................................................................. 10

Electoral Enrolment .................................................................................................. 11

Electoral enrolment ........................................................................................... 11

Enrolment changes ............................................................................................ 11

Report on Performance ............................................................................................ 12

House of Assembly elections ............................................................................ 12

Legislative Council elections ............................................................................ 13

Local government elections .............................................................................. 14

Financial Performance .............................................................................................. 16

Cost of elections ................................................................................................ 16

Cost of electoral enrolment .............................................................................. 17

Appendix A—Approvals, Appointments and Determinations .............................. 18

Approvals ........................................................................................................... 18

Appointments .................................................................................................... 18

Determinations .................................................................................................. 18

Appendix B—Legislative Council Elections ............................................................. 19

2007 election summary ..................................................................................... 19

Periodical cycle................................................................................................... 19

Informal ballot paper survey ............................................................................ 22

Divisional maps .................................................................................................. 23

Appendix C—The Trial of PDAs as Certified Lists ................................................... 24

Appendix D—The Trial of Computer-Assisted Voting ............................................ 26

2ndAnnualReport2006−07

CHAIRPERSON’S INTRODUCTIONIn the Tasmanian Electoral Commission’s first Annual Report last year, I noted that theTasmanianelectoral systemprovides theessentialunderpinningfor thedemocraticgoodhealthofourcommunity.Tasmania is fortunate indeedtohaveastrengthofdemocracywhichrepresentsanaspirationofmanyotherpeopleandcommunitiesaroundtheworld.

Tothispoint,theCommission’semphasishasnecessarilybeenonprovidingtheessentialsassociatedwiththeintroductionofthenewAct,anditsbasicprocesses.Forthemostpart,theActhasproventobeveryeffective,andacredittothoseinvolvedinitspreparationandpassage.

For the future, the Commission will focus on continuing to conduct those elections forwhichitisresponsible,andtakingadvantageoftechnologicalandotherdevelopmentstoimproveourelectoralsystem.Therewillalsobesomechallengesindealingwiththeprivacyobligationsassociatedwithaccesstotheelectoralroll.

However,incarryingoutitsfunctionsinthefuture,theCommissionwillbeconsciousthatthebasicelectoralframeworkthathasbeenestablishedinTasmaniaovertheyears isanexcellentone.

TheTasmanianElectoralCommissionenjoysacloseworkingrelationshipwithitsAustraliancounterpart.Theuseofajointelectoralroll,andcooperationonstaffingatelectiontimes,isimportantforasmallState,andprovidesaseamlessserviceforthepeopleofTasmania.IamgratefulforthisassistanceintheCommission’swork.

I’d also like to thank in particular my fellow commissioners (the Electoral Commissioner,Mr.BruceTaylor,andMs.LizGillam)andthestaffoftheCommission,fortheircontributiontowhathasbeenaverysuccessfulinitialperiodfortheCommission.

RichardBinghamChairperson Tasmanian eleCToral Commission

Chairperson’sIntroduction 1


ELECTORAL COMMISSIONER’S REVIEW2006–07hasbeenabusyandproductiveyearfortheTasmanianElectoralCommission.

Workonthe2006HouseofAssemblyelectionwasfinalisedinNovemberwiththeReportonParliamentaryElections2003to2006beingtabledinParliament.

LegislativeCouncilelectionswereheldinMayforthedivisionsofMontgomery,NelsonandPembrokeandincorporatedthetrialofsomenewinitiatives.ForthefirsttimeinAustralia,PersonalDigitalAssistant(PDAs)wereusedformarkingvoternamesonelectoralrolls inpollingplaces.ATasmaniandevelopedcomputersystem(VI-Vote)enabledblindandvisionimpairedelectorstovoteinprivateandanewadvertisingcampaignencouragedvoterstobringareminderpostcardtothepollingplacetospeeduptheflowofvoters.MythankstotheNewSouthWalesElectoralCommissionforloaningtheirPDAsforouruse.

Duringtheyear,theCommissionalsoassistedwithQueensland,VictorianandNewSouthWaleselectionsbyissuingpre-pollandpostalvotestovisitingelectors.

Underourroleofconducting,onrequest,electionsinthepublicinterest,theCommissionconductedtheballotsforthemergerofConnectCreditUnionandIslandstateCreditUnion,andtheRetirementBenefitsFund(RBF)boardelectionaswellasarangeofsmallerelections.

Severallocalgovernmentrecountsandaby-electionwereconductedandasthefinancialyear concluded, the Commission was preparing for local government elections for all29councils.Planninghasbeendifficultwithafederalelectionalsoduetobeheldbytheendof2007.Arangeoftimetableandlogisticaloptionshavebeenpreparedtocovervariousdates.

LegislativeamendmentstotheLegislative Council Electoral Boundaries Act 1995andelectoralprovisionsof theLocal Government Act 1993 and theWater Management Act 1999 andRegulationshavebeenpreparedinconjunctionwiththerelevantdepartments.

Australianelectoralexpertiseisvaluedinternationally.Forsixmonthsofthisyear,TasmanianDeputyElectoralCommissioner,JulianType,workedasaSeniorElectoralAdvisorfortheUnitedNationsinNepal.

MythankstotheothermembersoftheCommission,mystaff,mycolleaguesattheAustralianElectoralCommissionandourserviceprovidersfortheirpartincontinuingtoprovidequalityelectoralservices.

2 ElectoralCommissioner’sReview


ABOUT THIS REPORTThis2ndAnnualReportoftheTasmanianElectoralCommission(theCommission)coverstheperiod1July2006to30June2007.

Itissubmittedpursuanttosection13oftheTasmanianElectoral Act 2004.

Separate election reports, including full statistical details of elections, will continue tobe submitted. In order to provide up-to-date information, the 2007 Legislative CouncilelectionresultsareincludedinthisreportandwillalsobeincludedinthenextReportonParliamentaryElections.

Specialreportsonelectoralissuesmayalsobesubmittedfromtimetotime.

Although the Commission is a statutory body, corporate support is provided by theDepartmentofJusticeandfullfinancialandstaffingreportsareincludedintheDepartmentofJusticeAnnualReports.

ABOUT THE TASMANIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION

Formation

TheElectoral Act 2004waspassed intheSpring2004sessionofParliamentandreceivedRoyalAssenton17December2004.TheActcommencedon16February2005.TheTasmanianElectoral Commission was established under the Act and commenced operation on16February2005.TheCommissionhasresponsibilityforadministeringtheAct.

The Commission comprises the Chairperson, the Electoral Commissioner and one othermember. The members of the Commission are Richard Bingham (Chairperson), a formerSecretaryoftheDepartmentofJustice,LizGillam(member),formerDeputyDirectoroftheOfficeoftheStatusofWomenandaseniorpolicypractitionerwiththeLocalGovernmentAssociationofTasmaniaandBruceTaylor,thecurrentElectoralCommissioner.

Functions and powers

The following functions and powers of the Commission are specified in section 9 oftheAct.

1 InadditiontothefunctionsconferredonitbyanyotherprovisionsofthisActoranyotherAct,theCommissionhasthefollowingfunctions:

• toadvisetheMinisteronmattersrelatingtoelections;

• toconsiderandreporttotheMinisteronmattersreferredtoitbytheMinister;

• topromotepublicawarenessofelectoralandparliamentarytopicsbymeansofeducationalandinformationprogramsandbyothermeans;

• to provide information and advice on electoral issues to the Parliament, theGovernment,GovernmentdepartmentsandStateauthorities,withinthemeaningoftheState Service Act 2000;

• topublishmaterialonmattersrelatingtoitsfunctions;

• toinvestigateandprosecuteillegalpracticesunderthisAct.

AboutthisReport 3


2 The Commission may do all things necessary or convenient to be done, includingemployingpersons,fororinconnectionwithorincidentaltotheperformanceofitsfunctions.

3 Without limiting subsection (2) and in addition to any power conferred on theCommissionbyanyotherprovisionof thisActoranyotherAct, theCommission, inadditiontoconductingAssemblyelectionsorCouncilelectionsmayconductballotsorelectionsforapersonororganisationandmaychargefeesforthatservice.

Responsibilities of the Commission and the Commissioner

The Commission, and the Electoral Commissioner, have statutory responsibilities for theconductofindependentandimpartialelectionsandreferendums.

TheCommissionundertakestheconductof:

• HouseofAssemblyelections,by-electionsandrecounts;

• LegislativeCouncilelectionsandby-elections;

• localgovernmentelections,by-electionsandrecounts;

• Statereferendums;

• localgovernmentelectorpolls;

• theimplementationofelectoralboundaryredistributions;

• AboriginalLandCouncilofTasmaniaelections;

• otherstatutoryelections;

• semi-governmentandotherelectionsconductedinthepublicinterest;and

• publicelectoralinformationprograms.

TheCommissionandtheAustralianElectoralCommission(AEC)jointlymanageandmaintaintheelectoralrollsforfederal,stateandlocalgovernmentelections.

TheElectoralCommissionerisamemberoftheElectoralCouncilofAustraliawhichoversightselectoralandenrolmentpolicyandsystemsatanationallevel.

TheElectoralCommissionerisamemberoftheLegislativeCouncilRedistributionCommitteeandTribunalforthedeterminationofLegislativeCouncilelectoralboundaries.TheTribunalisalsoresponsiblefortransitionarrangementstoimplementeachredistribution.

Approvals, appointments and determinations

TheCommissionmetthreetimesthroughouttheyear.

TheActprovidesforarangeofapprovals,appointmentsanddeterminationstobemadebytheCommission,theElectoralCommissionerorreturningofficers.

A list of all Commission approvals, appointments and determinations made between1July2006and30June2007isshowninAppendixA.Theseapprovals,appointmentsanddeterminationsareavailableforpublicinspectionattheofficeoftheCommissionandareavailableonthewebsite.

4 AbouttheTasmanianElectoralCommission


LEGISLATIONThe Commission and the Electoral Commissioner have legal responsibilities set out inlegislationincluding:

• Electoral Act 2004

• Electoral Regulations 2005

• Local Government Act 1993

• Local Government (General) Regulations 2005

• Juries Act 2003

• Legislative Council Electoral Boundaries Act 1995

• Aboriginal Lands Act 1995

• Racing (Electoral) Regulations 2004

Legislative changes

During2006–07theofficeoftheCommissionwas involvedwiththefollowinglegislativeamendments:

• Legislative Council Electoral Boundaries (Amendment) Bill 2007.

ThisBillwastochangethecompositionoftheRedistributionCommitteeandTribunalandallowforthequarterlypublicationofLegislativeCouncildivisionenrolmenttoonlyberequiredontheCommissionwebsite.ItwasexpectedtopassParliamentbeforetheendof2007.

• Local Government Amendment (Elections) Bill 2007.

This Bill included a number of amendments and provisions relating to councillorresignations, the notice of election, advertising, by-elections, bribery and undueinfluenceandelectoralarticles.ThisBillwasexpectedtopassparliamentbeforetheendof2007.

• Water Management Act 1999 and Regulations.

Amendmentswerebeingpreparedforprovisionsrelatingtotheconductofelectionsrelatingtowatertrusts.

Legislation 5


SIGNIFICANT EVENTS OF 2006–07

Thepast12monthshavebeenaquieterperiodofelectionscomparedtotheperiodcoveredinthe1stannualreport.

TheAEChas, formanyyears,providedelectionservices totheCommission (formerlytheTasmanianElectoralOffice)toassistintheconductofparliamentaryandlocalgovernmentelectionsinTasmania.Underacontractualarrangement,AECstaffareappointedasreturningofficerstomanagethefieldworkassociatedwiththeseelections.

Summarystatisticsonperformanceareincludedlaterinthisreport.

Legislative Council elections

2007 election summary

Issueofthewrit Mon2April Pollingday Sat5May

Closeofnominations Thur12April Returnofthewrits Wed16May

Division Retiring Member Elected candidate

Montgomery SueSmith SueSmith(unopposed)

Nelson JimWilkinson JimWilkinson

Pembroke AllisonRitchie AllisonRitchie

On 2 April 2007, writs were issued for Legislative Council elections in the divisions ofMontgomery,NelsonandPembroke.Bythecloseofnominations,9candidates(7menand2women)hadbeennominated.AsSueSmithwastheonlycandidateforMontgomery,nopollwasrequiredandshewasdeclaredelectedonpollingday.

Followingonfrom2006,pre-pollvotingwasavailableinallAECdivisionalofficesaroundthecountryaswellastheofficesofotherStateandTerritoryelectoralauthorities.Electorslocatedoverseascouldonceagaincompletetheirpostalvoteapplicationonline.

Electionresultsareprovidedlaterinthisreport.

Advertising campaign

Anewawarenessadvertisingcampaignwasdevelopedfortheelectionstoincreaseelectorparticipation.Thenewcampaigncentredonthetheme,‘ShapeyourState’,andincluded,inadditiontotheelectorbrochure,apersonalreminderpostcardthatwasmailedtoeachelectorontheWednesdaybeforepollingday.

Electors warmly received the new campaign and reminder postcard, with between30%–50%bringingthereminderpostcardtothepollingplace.

6 SignificantEventsof2006–07


Trial of electronic certified lists

TheCommissionapprovedthetrialofelectroniccertifiedlistsatthe2007LegislativeCouncilelections.UsingPersonalDigitalAssistants(PDAs)aselectroniccertifiedlistsremovedtheneed toproduceprinted certified lists andundertake roll scanning.Tasmania is thefirstStatetousePDAstomarkelectorsofftheroll.

A PC-based application downloaded the roll onto PDAs. A simple PDA interface wasdevelopedtoenableanelectoralofficialtosearchforanelectorandmarkthemofftheroll.Thereminderpostcardsenttoeachelectorincludedtheelector’senrolmentdetailsandelectionrollnumber.SearchingonthePDAswasmadeeasierwhentheelectorprovidedtheirpostcardatthepollingplaceandtheelectorcouldbefoundusingtherollnumber.

TheuseofPDAswaswell receivedbypollingofficials andelectors. The trialofPDAsascertifiedlistswasconsideredasuccess.ThetrialshowedthatusingPDAsascertifiedlistswasachievable,moreefficientthanusingprintedrolls,andeasierthanprintedrollsforelectionofficialsandelectorstouse.MoredetailsonthetrialofPDAsareprovidedinAppendixC.

Trial of electronic voting for the blind and vision-impaired

The Commission also approved the trial ofcomputer-assisted voting for blind and vision-impairedelectorsatthe2007LegislativeCouncilelections. The Tasmanian developed ‘Vision-Impairedvotingsystem’(VI-Vote)enablesblindand vision-impaired electors to complete aballotpaper inprivate.Thereare twoways tovoteusingVI-Vote:

• The audio process provides voice promptsthrough headphones, which enable theelectortoallocatepreferences.

• The magnified ballot paper enables theelectortoallocatepreferencesbyclickingontheboxnext toeachmagnifiedcandidatename, which are then printed on a ballotpaper.

The preferences are printed on a normalsized ballot paper as numbers that resemblehandwriting.

David Ransley lodges his vote with the help of his guide dog, Carla.

Having a say in the future shape of Tasmania is as easyas dropping your folded ballot paper into a ballot box.

2007 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ELECTIONS

SignificantEventsof2006–07 7


VI-Votewasmadeavailableattheofficeofthereturningofficerforthepre-pollperiodandonpollingday.Whiletheelectronicsystemworkedwell,onlyasmallnumberofvotersusedthesystem.Themainreasonforthiswasthatonlysomeblindandvision-impairedindividualsfeelcomfortableusingcomputersorwanttocompletetheirballotpaper independently.MoredetailsonthetrialofVI-VoteareprovidedinAppendixD.

House of Assembly elections

TherewerenoHouseofAssemblyelections,by-electionsorrecountsduring2006–07.

Local government elections

ThenextlocalgovernmentelectionsaredueinOctober2007.

Recountswereheldforcouncillorvacanciesat:

• BurnieCity, • Tasman,

• CircularHead, • DevonportCity,

• CentralCoast, • WestCoast,

• KingIsland(2recounts), • WestTamar(2recounts).

OnecouncillorvacancyatFlindersCouncilwasfilledthroughaby-election.

Councilvacanciesoccurringafter16March2007arenotfilleduntilthelocalgovernmentelectionsinOctober2007.

Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania elections

TheElectoralCommissioner is responsiblefordeterminingAboriginality forthepurposesoftheAboriginal Lands Act 1995,preparingandmaintainingtheAboriginalLandCouncilofTasmania(ALCT)ElectorsRollandconductingelectionsfortheCouncil.Electionswerepreviouslyheldin1996–97and2001.

Theenrolmentprocess for the currentelections concluded in2005and sixappealswerelodgedintheSupremeCourt.Thecallfornominationshasbeendeferreduntiltheappealsareheard.

Assistance to other State electoral authorities

TheCommissionassistedotherAustralianelectoralauthorities conduct theirelectionsbyissuingpre-pollvotesattheCommissionofficeinHobart.

Theoffice issuedpre-pollvotes for theQueensland,VictoriaandNewSouthWales stateelectionsandforby-electionsinWesternAustraliaandtheNorthernTerritory.



Assisting the United Nations in Nepal

InNovember2006,aComprehensivePeaceAgreementwassignedbytheMaoistinsurgencyand the Nepalese government. The peace agreement included the conduct of nationalelectionsin2007.

TheUnitedNationsMissioninNepal(UNMIN)ismandatedbytheUNSecurityCounciltoassistwith the implementationofNepal’sComprehensivePeaceAgreement. FollowingarequestfromtheUnitedNations,theTasmanianDeputyElectoralCommissioner,MrJulian

Type, took leave from theCommissiontoserveasSeniorElectoral Adviser to UNMINfromJanuarytoJune2007.

Elections for a ConstituentAssembly were originallyscheduled for June 2007, buthave been postponed untilNovember 2007 followingdelays in the enactment oflegislation.

Julian Type and former returning officer for the division of Denison, Mr David Clark (left), both provided electoral assistance on foreign shores this year.

Other elections and ballots

Electionswereconductedforarangeofstatutoryandnon-statutoryorganisations.Feesarechargedfortheseservices.

Retirement Benefits Fund (RBF)—Election of 2 board members

In the period March to May 2007 the Commission conducted the statutory elections bypostalballotfor2boardmemberstotheRBFBoard.Oneboardmemberwaselectedby‘DefinedBenefitMembers’ (12500members)and theotherby ‘AccumulationMembers’(44000members).

Connect Credit Union and Islandstate Credit Union—merger ballots

InAprilandMay2007theCommissionassisted intheballotsrequiredforthemergerofConnect Credit Union and Islandstate Credit Union. The two ballots were conductedconcurrently.TheCommissionwasresponsibleforreceivingandcounting23000memberproxyvotesforthetwoballotsandconductingthefinalcountatthetwospecialgeneralmeetings.

Other elections

Othernotablenon-statutoryelectionsincludedTasmanianCouncilofSocialService(TasCOSS),Tasmanian Council on AIDS Hepatitis & Related Diseases (TasCAHRD), Tasmanian FishingIndustryCouncil(TFIC)andtheTasmaniaUniversityUnion(TUU)Hobart.

SignificantEventsof2006–07 9


Education and electoral promotion

Macular Degeneration Awareness Week Expo

Followingthe2007LegislativeCouncilelections,theCommissionandtheAECwereinvitedtopromotetheirvoter-assistancecomputer systemsat theHobartMacularDegenerationAwarenessWeekExpo.

PresentationsofthetwosystemsweremadeonSaturday30JuneintheBoardwalkGalleryatWrestPoint.Over200delegateswerepresenttotestbothsystemsandhearfromanumberofspeakersincludingCommissionandAECrepresentatives.

TEC staff member, Rennie Cornock, assists members of the public with V-I Vote at the Macular Degeneration Expo.



ELECTORAL ENROLMENT

Electoral enrolment

An up-to-date and accurate electoral roll is an essential prerequisite for the conduct ofelections.TheStateofTasmaniaandtheCommonwealthofAustraliahaveanarrangementforthemanagementandmaintenanceofajointroll.

The Tasmanian electoral roll is maintained by the AEC as part of the national roll. TheCommissionhason-lineaccesstotheroll.ThenationalrollisjointlymanagedbytheAECandtheStateelectoralauthorities.

EligibleTasmaniansareabletoenroltovoteinfederal,stateorlocalgovernmentelectionsorchangetheirdetailsontheelectoralroll,bycompletingasinglejointenrolmentform.

TasmanianshavealsobeenabletoenrolusingtheServiceTasmania“ChangeofAddressform”,whichalsoupdatedtheperson’saddresswithnominatedstategovernmentagencies.HoweverthiscombinedformisnolongeravailablefollowingchangestoCommonwealthGovernmentproofofidentityrequirements.

ThenewelectoralenrolmentformisavailablefromServiceTasmaniashops.

Undersection40oftheElectoral Act 2004,theTasmanianrollisprovidedtoMembersofParliament,registeredpartiesandotherorganisationsapprovedbytheCommission.

AllelectorsenrolledontheStaterollareentitledtovoteatthelocalgovernmentelectionsforthecouncilinwhichtheirenrolledaddressissituated.Otherindividualswhoareovertheageof18andareanowneroroccupieroflandinthemunicipalareamaybeentitledtobeonasupplementaryelectoralrollkeptbythecouncilgeneralmanager.

TheElectoralCommissionerrepresentstheCommissionatregularmeetingsoftheElectoralCouncil of Australia. This body oversees policy and systems related to the on-goingdevelopmentandimprovementofthejointCommonwealth/Stateelectoralroll.

The AEC keeps the electoral roll nationally on a mainframe computer. On-line access isavailablefromCommissiondesktopcomputersviaadedicatedsecurelinefromCanberra.

Enrolment changes

The Electoral and Referendum Amendment (Electoral Integrity and Other Measures) Act 2006 waspassedbyFederalParliament.ThisActcontainsamendmentsthatrelatetoproof of identity for Commonwealth electoral enrolment. Commonwealth regulationsrequireanapplicantforenrolmentto—

• provideevidenceofhisorhernamebyprovidinghisorherdriver’slicencenumber;or

• iftheapplicantdoesnotpossessadriver’slicence,showtoanelectorinaprescribedclassofelectorsaprescribedkindofdocumentthatidentifiestheapplicant,

• orotherwise,havetheapplicationcountersignedbytwoelectorswhocanconfirmtheapplicant’snameandwhohaveknowntheapplicantatleastonemonth.

The new proof of identity form for electoral enrolment replaced the previous electoralenrolmentformsinApril2007.

ElectoralEnrolment 11


REPORT ON PERFORMANCEThissectiondetailstheperformanceresultsfortheCommission.TheCommissionconductsarangeofelectionsonbehalfoftheTasmaniancommunity.Thecostperelectorfortheseelectionsvariesdependingonthestatutoryrequirements,andthescaleandcomplexityoftheelection.

Theperformanceassessment,inthefirstinstance,focusesonthecosteffectivenessoftheelectoralprocess.Twomeasuresarereportedintables7and8—thecostperenrolledelectortoconductStateelectionsandthecostperenrolledelectortomaintaintheelectoralroll.

Whilecosteffectivenessisimportant,itisessentialthatotherperformancemeasuressuchasvoterturn-out(numberofelectorswhovotedasapercentageofthenumberofelectorsontheelectionroll),andthelevelofinformalvoting(numberofinformalvotesasapercentageofthenumberofvotescast),aremaintainedatexistingsatisfactorylevelsorbetter.

House of Assembly elections

Table 1: House of Assembly elections statistics 1996–2007

1996 1998 2002 2006

Numberofelectorsatcloseofroll 324556 322754 332473 341481

Ballotpaperscast 311486 306655 311637 324008

Participationrate 95.97% 95.01% 93.73% 94.88%

Formalvotes 294671 294678 296470 309622

Informalityrate 5.40% 3.91% 4.87% 4.44%

Numberofcandidates* 158 138 112 95

Totalnumberofcounts** 3363 3271 2500 198

*ThenumberofmembersoftheHouseofAssemblywasreducedin1998from35to25.

**Thenumberofcountsreduceddramatically in2006withtheadoptionoftheprocessof amalgamating parcels of ballot papers with the same transfer value when excludingcandidates.

12 ReportonPerformance

House of Assembly electionsParticipation rates

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1996 1998 2002 2006

House of Assembly electionsInformality rates

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

1996 1998 2002 2006


Legislative Council elections

Table 2: Legislative Council elections statistics by division 2006–2007

2006 2007

Rowallan Wellington Montgomery Nelson Pembroke

Numberofelectorsatcloseofroll

21511 23333 23540 23118 23451

Ballotpaperscast 17889 17579 Uncontested 18729 20525

Participationrate 83.16% 75.34% — 81.01% 87.52%

Formalvotes 16915 16957 — 18235 19856

Informalityrate 5.44% 3.54% — 2.64% 3.26%

Numberofcandidates 2 6 1 2 6

Table 3: Legislative Council elections participation and informality rates 2003–2007

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Numberofelectorsatcloseofroll

66366 44442 46474* 44844 46569*

Ballotpaperscast 57908 39201 40703 35468 39254

Participationrate 87.26% 88.21% 87.58% 79.09% 84.29%

Informalityrate 4.69% 5.39% 3.62% 4.50% 2.96%

Note:Enrolmentnumbersfor2005and2007includeonlydivisionsthatrequiredapoll.

Theparticipationrateatthe2006LegislativeCouncilelectionswasdisappointinglylow.Thiswasprobablyduetoanumberoffactors,includingthefollowing:

• theelectionscloselyfollowedthe2006HouseofAssemblyelections;

• therewasextensivemediacoverageoftheBeaconsfieldMineincidentatthetime;

• theinnercitymetropolitandivisionofWellingtonhasahistoryoflowparticipationforanumberofdemographicreasonsincludingthehighertransientpopulation;

• thesmallnumberofcandidatescontestingtheelectioninthedivisionofRowallan.

Theparticipationrateatthe2007LegislativeCouncilelectionswasconsiderablyhigherthantheratein2006,butdidnotquitemeettheparticipationrateoftheearlierelections.

ReportonPerformance 13

Legislative Council electionsParticipation rates

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Legislative Council electionsInformality rates

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007


Local government elections

Table 4: Local government elections participation and informality rates 1996–2005

1996 1999 2000 2002 2005

Numberofelectorsatcloseofroll*

316475 330004 334592 340283 350026

NumberofcouncilelectionsfullyconductedbyTEC

22/28 24/28 27/29 26/28 28/29

Declarationsreturned 188230 183673 193337 196903 204846

Responserate 59.48% 55.66% 57.78% 57.86% 58.52%

Totalballotpapers** 321329 291890 514858 525772 563532

Formalvotes 317011 287896 505123 516100 553809

Informalityrate 1.34% 1.37% 1.89% 1.84% 1.73%

Numberofcandidates 381 377 454 437 487

Totalnumberofcounts*** 1833 503 622 570 708

*ComprisesthoseelectorsontheHouseofAssemblyrollforanaddresswithinthemunicipalareaaswellasotherowners,occupiersandnomineeswhohaveenrolledonthegeneralmanager’sroll.Onlyincludesfiguresforthosecouncilshavingelections.

**Includesallballotpapersformayor,deputymayorandcouncillors.

***Thenumberofcountsreduceddramaticallyafter1996withtheadoptionoftheprocessofamalgamatingparcelsofballotpaperswith the same transfer valueswhenexcludingcandidates.

14 ReportonPerformance

Local government elections Response rates

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

1996 1999 2000 2002 2005

Local government electionsInformality rates

0%

1%

2%

3%

4%

5%

1996 1999 2000 2002 2005


Tasmania Together indicators and targets for local government elections

TasmaniaTogetherisacommunitysystemofgoalsettingandmeasurement,usedtoguidedecision-making in the government and community sectors. The headline indicator forGoal8(openandaccountablegovernmentthatlistensandplansforasharedfuture)isthelevelofvoterparticipationinlocalgovernmentelections.

Table 5: Local government election participation

TasmaniaTogetherindicator TasmaniaTogethertarget

8.1.3Participationinlocalgovernmentelections

2005:60%2010:65%2015:70%2020:75%

Table 6: Local government election participation 1994–2005

Participationinlocalgovernmentelections 1994 1996 1999 2000 2002 2005

Localgovernment 55.00% 59.48% 55.66% 57.78% 57.86% 58.52%

ReportonPerformance 15


FINANCIAL PERFORMANCEThissectioncontainsbreakdownsofelectioncostsandhistoricalcomparisons.Expenditureand Revenue statements can be found in the 2006–2007 Department of Justice AnnualReport.

Cost of elections

Table 7: Cost of state, local government and federal elections

2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07

House of Assembly

Totalcost($’000) 1752 — — 1897 —

Numberofelectorsontheroll 332,473 — — 341481 —

Costperelectorontheroll $5.27 — — $5.56 —

Legislative Council

Totalcost($’000) 377 346 335 280 346

Numberofelectorsontheroll 66366 44442 70008 44844 70109

Costperelectorontheroll $5.68 $7.79 $4.79 $6.24 $4.94

Local government

Totalcost($’000) 977 — — 1147 —

Numberofelectorsontheroll 340283 — — 350026 —

Costperelectorontheroll $2.87 — — $3.28 —

Federal general election

Costperelectorontheroll — — $5.79 — —

Periodic Legislative Council elections are conducted annually. Elections for two divisionsareheldineven-numberedyears,andforthreedivisionsinodd-numberedyears.Costsperelectionarealwayshigherwhenonlytwoelectionsareheldduetofixedcosts.

In2003–04,thecostperelectorwashighduetothegeographicspreadofthenewdivisionofApsleyandtheuseofadditionalelectionawarenessbrochuresandotheradvertising.

In2004–05,thecostperelectorwaslowduetoapollnotbeingrequiredinthedivisionofPatersonastherewasonlyonenomination.

In2006–07,thecostperelectorwaslowduetoapollnotbeingrequiredinthedivisionofMontgomeryastherewasonlyonenomination.

Thecostperelectorforthe2004Federalelection is includedfor information.ThefigurewasobtainedfromtheAEC’s Electoral Pocket BookofJune2005.Federalelectioncostsdonotincludeacomponentforthedecentralisedstructureofpermanentdivisionalreturningofficersandstaff.

16 FinancialPerformance


Cost of electoral enrolment

Table 8: Cost of managing and maintaining electoral roll

2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07

Expenditureonroll($’000)

204 226 243 249 218

NumberofelectorsontherollatJune30

331788 335402 341172 343494 346893

Costperelectorontheroll

$0.61 $0.67 $0.71 $0.72 $0.63

ThesecostsincludethecosttotheStateoftheState/Commonwealthjointrollarrangement,communicationslinestothenationalroll,associatedITcostsandthecostofprovidingtheroll tomembersof theTasmanianParliament, registeredpartiesandotherorganisationsapprovedbytheCommissionundersection40oftheElectoral Act 2004.

FinancialPerformance 17


APPENDIX A—APPROVALS, APPOINTMENTS AND DETERMINATIONS

Approvals

SectionNo. SubjectDate

Approved

39(2) Formofelectionandcandidaterolls(inelectronicform) 16/03/07

77(2)Nominationform—LegislativeCouncilnon-partycandidates(minorchanges)

16/03/07

77(5)Nominationform—LegislativeCouncilpartycandidates(minorchanges)

16/03/07

111 UseofPersonalDigitalAssistants(PDA)ascertifiedlists 16/03/07

113 Computerassistanceforblindandvision-impairedelectors 16/03/07

Appointments


Approved

24(1) Returningofficersforthe2007LegislativeCouncilelections 16/03/07

25(1)Appointmentofanactingreturningofficerforthe2007LegislativeCouncilelections(delegatedtotheElectoralCommissioner)

01/05/07

26(1) Electionofficialsforthe2007LegislativeCouncilelections 16/03/07

93(1) Pollingplacesforthe2007LegislativeCouncilelections 16/03/07

Determinations


Approved

27(1) Remunerationandallowances 16/03/07

18 AppendixA—Approvals,AppointmentsandDeterminations


APPENDIX B—LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ELECTIONS

2007 election summary

Issueofthewrit Mon2April Pollingday Sat5May

Closeofnominations Thur12April Returnofthewrits Wed16May

Division Retiring Member Elected candidate

Montgomery SueSmith SueSmith(unopposed)

Nelson JimWilkinson JimWilkinson

Pembroke AllisonRitchie AllisonRitchie

AcandidatemustobtainamajorityoftheformalvotetobeelectedunderthepreferentialvotingsystemusedforLegislativeCouncilelections.Ifnocandidatehasamajorityoftheformalvotefromfirstpreferences,thecandidatewiththelowestnumberofvotesisexcluded.Thisprocessofexcludingcandidatescontinuesuntilonecandidateobtainsamajority.

ThetwodivisionsthatrequiredapollwereNelsonandPembrokeandthesittingmembers,Jim Wilkinson and Allison Ritchie were re-elected (see the following pages for the fullresults).

Periodical cycle

PeriodicLegislativeCouncilelectionsareheldonthefirstSaturdayinMayeachyear.

Year Division Current Member

2008 Huon PaulHarris

Rosevears KerryFinch

2009 Derwent MichaelAird

Mersey NormaJamieson

Windemere IvanDean

2010 Apsley TaniaRattray-Wagner

Elwick TerryMartin

2011 Murchison RuthForrest

Paterson DonWing

Rumney LinThorpe

2012 Rowallan GregHall

Wellington DougParkinson

2013 Montgomery SueSmith

Nelson JimWilkinson

Pembroke AllisonRitchie

AppendixB—LegislativeCouncilElections 19


Division of NELSONElectionheldon5May2007 Electorsenrolled23118

Retiringmember—TheHonourableJimSWilkinson Electorswhovoted18729(81.01%)

ReturningOfficer—MareeWard Informalvotes494(2.64%)

ElectedmembertoserveforasixyeartermuntilMay2013

First preference votes and informal ballot papers—by polling place

CANDIDATES

NILSSON WILKINSON Formal Informal Totalballot Tom Jim votes paperscounted TasmanianGreens

1 Agfest 55 113 168 5 173

2 Cascades 413 309 722 19 741

3 Dynnyrne 419 511 930 23 953

4 FernTree 258 140 398 6 404

5 Hobart(electoraloffice) 108 110 218 5 223

6 HobartSouth 665 633 1298 32 1330

7 Kingston 780 1645 2425 85 2510

8 KingstonBeach 615 916 1531 53 1584

9 LowerSandyBay 548 1444 1992 62 2054

10 MountNelson 501 696 1197 41 1238

11 Queenborough 153 219 372 7 379

12 Sandfly 36 47 83 7 90

13 SandyBay 502 905 1407 24 1431

14 SandyBayBeach 162 490 652 18 670

15 Taroona 585 669 1254 49 1303

16 WaimeaHeights 190 402 592 10 602

Mobile* 45 160 205 8 213

Total Ordinary 6 035 9 409 15 444 454 15 898

Pre-poll 449 767 1216 19 1235

Postal 441 940 1381 11 1392

Provisional 51 72 123 7 130

Absent 27 44 71 3 74

Total 7 003 11 232 18 235 494 18 729

%Formalvote 38.40% 61.60% 2.64% informal

*Votestakenatinstitutionsarenowissuedasordinaryvotes.

Jim Wilkinson elected

20 AppendixB—LegislativeCouncilElections


Division of PEMBROKEElectionheldon5May2007 Electorsenrolled23451

Retiringmember—TheHonourableAllisonMRitchie Electorswhovoted20525(87.52%)

ReturningOfficer—KristiGmelig Informalvotes669(3.26%)

ElectedmembertoserveforasixyeartermuntilMay2013

First preference votes and informal ballot papers—by polling place

CANDIDATES

JACKSON JAMES PEERS RITCHIE SMITH ZUCCO Formal Informal Totalballot David Richard John Allison Neil Marti votes paperscounted Lawrence Australian Tasmanian LaborParty Greens

1 Agfest 8 26 11 69 19 19 152 6 158 2 Bellerive 138 461 242 854 389 361 2445 84 2529 3 Bligh 32 95 98 515 68 58 866 34 900 4 GeilstonBay 49 305 172 689 202 178 1595 82 1677 5 Hobart(electoraloffice) 5 3 4 24 18 10 64 5 69 6 Howrah 122 418 211 1017 257 291 2316 85 2401 7 Lindisfarne 74 449 234 717 384 271 2129 59 2188 8 LoattaRoad 35 275 120 471 204 152 1257 31 1288 9 MontaguBay 32 212 85 431 191 104 1055 27 108210 RisdonVale 37 187 74 772 59 88 1217 58 127511 Tranmere 72 334 142 757 238 275 1818 62 188012 Warrane 42 125 76 571 126 90 1030 49 107913 WentworthStreet 59 184 88 405 149 123 1008 48 1056 Mobile* 13 53 19 70 17 26 198 7 205

Total Ordinary 718 3 127 1 576 7 362 2 321 2 046 17 150 637 17 787

Pre-poll 56 145 84 308 128 107 828 15 843 Postal 78 363 163 781 179 168 1732 14 1746 Provisional 5 8 9 28 9 4 63 1 64 Absent 3 7 7 34 25 7 83 2 85

Total 860 3 650 1 839 8 513 2 662 2 332 19 856 669 20 525

%Formalvote 4.33% 18.38% 9.26% 42.87% 13.41% 11.74% 3.26% informal

*Votestakenatinstitutionsarenowissuedasordinaryvotes.

Distribution of preferences

JACKSON JAMES PEERS RITCHIE SMITH ZUCCO Exhausted Formal Remarks David Richard John Allison Neil Marti votes votes Lawrence

Count1Totalvotes 860 3650 1839 8513 2662 2332 19 856 FirstPreferences

Count2Votestransferred -860 259 225 162 76 138 JacksonExcluded

Totalvotes 0 3 909 2 064 8 675 2 738 2 470 19 856

Count3Votestransferred 753 -2064 641 202 468 PeersExcluded

Totalvotes 4 662 0 9 316 2 940 2 938 19 856

Count4Votestransferred 1494 845 488 -2938 111 ZuccoExcluded

Totalvotes 6 156 10 161 3 428 0 111 19 856 Ritchie Elected



Informal ballot paper survey

Nelson Pembroke Total

Apparent intentional informal voting

Blank 135 206 341

Deliberateinformalorscribble/messagesonly 147 236 383

Total 282 442 724

Apparent unintentional informality

Containswritingidentifyingelector 0 0 0

Containsonlyticksorcrosses 193 129 322

Nofirstpreference 10 7 17

Repetitionsoromissions 2 57 59

Twoormorefirstpreferences 7 33 40

Forotherdivision 0 1 1

Total 212 227 439

Total 494 669 1 163

Nelson

Apparentunintentional

43%Apparent

intentional57%

Pembroke

Apparentunintentional

34%

Apparentintentional

66%

22 AppendixB—LegislativeCouncilElections


Divisional maps



APPENDIX C—THE TRIAL OF PDAS AS CERTIFIED LISTSTheCommissionapprovedthetrialofelectroniccertifiedlistsatthe2007LegislativeCouncilelections.TheNewSouthWalesElectoralCommissionprovided200PersonalDigitalAssistants(PDAs)onloanforthetrial.

UsingPDAsaselectroniccertifiedlistsremovedtheneedtoproduceprintedcertifiedlistsandundertakerollscanning.PDAshavebeenusedatrecentVictorianandNewSouthWaleselectionsinpollingplacestocheckelectorenrolmentdetails.TasmaniaisthefirstStatetousePDAstomarkelectorsofftheroll.

What was developed

APC-basedapplicationdownloadedtherollontoPDAs.AsimplePDAinterfacewasdevelopedtoenableanelectoralofficialtosearchforanelectorandmarkthemofftheroll.

The main search screen The results screen The elector detail screen

Tosearchfortheelector,theelectionofficialeitherenteredtheelector’snameorrollnumber.Itwasrecommendedthatonlythefirstthreelettersoftheelector’sfamilyandgivennamesbeentered,asthisusuallyproducedalistoflessthansixnames.

The main issues with the trial

PDAtheftandthebatterylifewereconsideredthemainrisksassociatedwithusingPDAs.

Similar to ballot papers, PDAs in the polling place were either directly controlled byelectionofficialsorsecurelystoredawayfromthepublic.NoPDAswerestolenorlostattheelection.

Whilebatterylifewasestimatedtolastonlysixhours,PDAscouldbechargedandoperatedatthesametime.PDAswerekeptchargedbyeitherhavingallissuingpointscontinuouslypluggedintoapowersourceorrotatingapowercordbetweenthePDAsduringtheday.

24 AppendixC—TheTrialofPDAsasCertifiedLists


Preparing the PDAs

TheelectionrollwasloadedontoeachPDApriortobeingissuedtopollingplaces.ThePDAsforeachpollingplacewerecombinedinaclearplasticresealablebagwithareceiptcardwhichlistedthePDA’sserialnumbers.

Special material was developed for training election officials. Backup procedures andreferencerollswereprovidedincasetherewereproblems.

Reminder postcard sent to electors

A reminder postcard was sent out before polling day to each elector required to vote.Thepostcardincludedtheelector’sname,enrolledaddressandrollnumber.Electorswereencouragedtotakethepostcardtothepollingplacetomakeiteasierforthemtobemarkedofftheroll.

PDAs in polling places

ElectionofficialsenjoyedusingthePDAsandfoundthatitwaseasierandquickerthanusingtheprintedlists.SomepollingplacesusedtheirsparePDAduringtheearlymorningpeakperiodstoensurewaitinglineswereclearedquickly.

Pollingplacesreportedbetween30%and50%ofelectorsbroughttheirreminderpostcardtothepollingplace,whichassistedinspeedinguptheprocessofmarkingnamesofftheroll.ManyelectorslikedhavingthepostcardandwerepositiveabouttheuseofPDAs.

Uploading voter details

UploadingPDAdetailstothecentralcomputercommencedonthedayafterpollingday.ThisinvolveduploadingtherollnumberoftheelectorsmarkedoneachPDA.

A problem was identified during the upload of PDAs from the division of Nelson. Thisproblemresultedin500votersnotbeingidentifiedforthenon-voterprocess.AdditionalprocesseswereundertakentoensurethattheproblemdidnotoccurforPDAsusedinthedivisionofPembroke.

Non-voter and multi-voter reports

Once the uploading process was completed, non-voter lists, multi-voters and non-voteranalysisreports(age,gender,locality)wereproduced.Thiswassignificantlyquicker,simplerand cheaper than the normal transport and scanning process undertaken with printedrolls.

Since500Nelsonvoterscouldnotbeidentified,non-voternoticeswerenotissuedforthedivisionofNelson.However,multi-voterswerestillinvestigated.

One suggested change

OneofthereturningofficerssuggestedthatthePDAshouldincludeatimeanddatestampformarkingelectorsofftheroll.AdateandtimestampwouldenableatruevoterflowtoberecordedforeveryPDA.

Overall comments

ThetrialofPDAsascertifiedlistswasconsideredasuccess.ThetrialshowedthatusingPDAsas certified lists was achievable, more efficient than using printed rolls, and easier thanprintedrollsforelectionofficialsandelectorstouse.

AppendixC—TheTrialofPDAsasCertifiedLists 25


APPENDIX D—THE TRIAL OF COMPUTER-ASSISTED VOTINGTheCommissionapprovedthetrialofcomputerassistedvotingforblindandvision-impairedelectorsatthe2007LegislativeCouncilelections.

TheTasmaniandeveloped‘Vision-Impairedvotingsystem’(VI-Vote)enablesblindandvision-impairedelectorstocompleteaballotpaperinprivate.Thesystemhastwomodesofuse:

TheAudio Votingmodeisanaudioprocessthatreadsoutthenamesofthecandidatesandenablesan elector to allocate sequential preferences,which can be printed on a ballot paper. Via aseriesofvoiceprompts,theelectorchoosestheirpreferencesusingaspeciallydesignedkeypad.

Oncetheelectorhasfinishedvoting,thesystemwillreadtheirvotebacktothem,beforegivingtheelectortheoptiontoprinttheballotpaperorstartagain.

The Vote Magnification mode enables anelector to magnify the candidate names on acomputerscreensotheycanallocatesequentialpreferences, which can be printed on a ballotpaper.

Theelectorusesthemousetocontrolthelevelofmagnificationandtoallocatepreferences.

Theorderof candidatenameson theballotpapers is rotatedusingRobsonRotation,asrequiredundertheTasmanian Electoral Act 2004.

If the voter tries to print their ballot paper before marking enough preferences to castaformalvote,theywill receiveawarningthattheirvote is informal.Theelector isthengiventheoptionsofeitherstartingagainorprintingtheinformalballotpaper.Theelector’spreferencesareprintedinafontthatcloselyresembleshandwriting.Theelectorthenplacestheprintedballotpaperintoanearbyballotbox.

Neithermodestoresanyrecordoftheelector’svoteonthecomputer’shard-drive.Instead,atthecompletionofvoting,thecomputerprintsaballotpaperthatincludestheelector’spreferencesthatisverysimilarinappearancetoastandardballotpaper.

Although VI-Vote has been designed and approved for electors needing assistance tovote,electorsnotrequiringassistancewereencouragedtousethesystem.BroaderuseofVI-Vote increases the number of ballot papers with printed preferences and provides aprocessduringthepollingperiodfor independentlyverifyingthatthesystemisworkingcorrectly.

Keypad

Magnified screen

26 AppendixD—TheTrialofComputer-AssistedVoting


Access to VI-Vote

VI-VotewassetupintheHobartpre-pollcentreforthepre-pollingperiodandonpollingday.VI-VotecontainedballotpapersfortheNelsonandPembrokeelectionsandasampleballotpaperforelectorswantingtopracticeusingthesystembeforecompletingtheirballotpaper.

Awareness and promotion

GuideDogsAssociationstaffandblindandvision-impairedelectorstestedVI-Voteduringthe development and early election period. All who tested the system provided positivefeedback.

Alongwithotherformsofpromotion,detailsaboutVI-Votewereprovidedontheelectorbrochure mailed to each elector required to vote at the elections and the media werepresenttofilmandaskquestionsofablindelectorusingVI-Vote,resultinginanarticleandphotographinThe Mercuryandsometelevisioncoverage.

Usage

VI-Votewasonlyusedbyonevision-impairedelectorandoneblindelectortocasttheirvoteattheelection.Thefeedbackfromthesetwoelectorscouldnothavecontrastedmoreandhighlightsthatonlysomeblindandvision-impairedelectorswillembracethenewservice.

Theblindelectorhadconsiderableexperienceworkingwithcomputersinaworkenvironmentandinteractingwithotherpeople.HewasastrongsupporterofimprovedservicesfortheblindandwasverypositiveofVI-Vote.

Thevision-impairedelectorwaselderly,hadnotbeenintothecityforanumberofyears,didnotusecomputersandcametocastapre-pollvoteunawareofthenewservice.Shewascompletelyoverwhelmedbythesystem,becameupsetanddidnotcompleteherballotpaper.

ThelowusageofVI-Voteisattributedtothreefactors:

• Theblindandvision-impairedcommunitiesdidnothavearealopportunitytobecomeawareofortrialthenewsystempriortotheelection.

• Manyblindandvision-impairedelectorsmaynotwanttousethesystemastheyalreadyhaveawaytocompletetheirvote,whichtheyhaveconfidencein—suchasvotingfromhomewiththeirownmagnificationsystems,orwithafriendorfamilyassistance.

• ThosewhotestedthesystemwerenotenrolledineitherofthetwoLegislativeCouncildivisionsgoingtoelection.

The Commission will consider providing access outside election periods in Guide DogAssociationofficestobroadenawareness,acceptanceanduseofVI-Votewithintheblindandvision-impairedcommunities.

VI-Vote couldalsoassist electorswhohave trouble readingorwhofind ithard tomarknumbersontheballotpaper.TheCommissionwillconsiderwaysinwhichVI-Votewillhelpothergroupsinthecommunitytocompletetheirballotpaper.

Summary

Acomputerisedprocesswasdevelopedforblindandvision-impairedelectorstoindependentlycompletetheirballotpaperat the2007LegislativeCouncilelections.WhiletheusageofVI-Votewaslow,wherefeasible,electoralauthoritiesshouldprovideservicesthatmakesiteasierforelectorstovote.

AppendixD—TheTrialofComputer-AssistedVoting 27

2nd Annual Report2006–2007

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Mail GPO Box 300, Hobart Tasmania 7001

Phone (03) 6233 3749

Fax (03) 6224 0217

Email [email protected]

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2nd Annual Report - Tasmanian Electoral Commission

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