Donkey Vote Question?

[SassyMummy]

Okay, so tell me if I'm wrong, but from what I know, if you write 1-10 down the page (or however many options there are), giving your vote to the top person, you last preference to the last person... this is classed as a donkey vote.... right?

So what if you actually WANT to vote that way? Are you somehow not allowed to? Is that not unfair?

I've always wondered this...

[poshBecks]

I wouldn't imagine that was a donkey vote....

I thought doing a donkey vote was just not ticking a box at all or writing Mickey Mouse & ticking that instead :p

I am not completely sure on this though..

[bubs_and_us]

i've always wondered this too sassy :detective:

[Ana Gram]

I wouldn't imagine that was a donkey vote....

I thought doing a donkey vote was just not ticking a box at all or writing Mickey Mouse & ticking that instead :p

I am not completely sure on this though..

That's an informal vote, I added my own boxes sometimes. I once voted for Big Bird.

Donkey vote is 1-10 down the page.

[poshBecks]

Oh wow!! I didn't know that... there you go! :idea:

[sam's mum]

a donkey vote still counts. so it doesn't matter why you number them in that order.

[Bron]

Yep, sam's mum is right - a donkey vote won't be challenged by a scruitineer as being informal, because people may genuinely want to number the candidates in that order.

[SilverStarfish]

:iagree: Yup, what she said.

It's perfectly legal and valid to vote 1 - 10 down the page if that's the order you want to do it in.

[caz]

From the AEC website :thumbsup:
Donkey vote
A ballot paper marked 1, 2, 3, 4 straight down (or up) a ballot paper.



Informal vote
A ballot paper which has been incorrectly completed or not filled in at all. Informal votes are not counted towards any candidate but are set aside.

[Bron]

I remember back in student politics days - people would vote in student guild elections because they wanted a particular person as President or Treasurer or something, but when it came to electing the Guild Councillors there would be about 120 people on the ballot and a lot of people just did the donkey vote thing because there were too many people to vote for.

Or people would vote for their friend and then number all the rest from the top of the ballot downwards.

It was great to be drawn at the top of the ballot because unless you were a complete tosser who no one liked, chances were you would get elected, just because of the donkey votes.

They have less of an impact in federal elections, I should think, fewer candidates tends to make it easier to actually choose who you want to vote for.

[missie_mack]

Yup definately legal. It is the reason they no longer place candidates in alphabetical order and they now draw for their position on the ballot paper. They think that Donkey Voting could have add an extra 2% of votes to the first listed person that they wouldnt have otherwise got. They think it has lessened since they now also list which party every candidate is representing- previously it was just a name and if you say wanted to vote Greens but didnt know how the representative was for your area you were basically flying blind.

[SassyMummy]

Ahhh thanks!

I always thought they weren't counted, so it's good to know that people who truly DO want to vote that way CAN vote that way!