Latest news with #PaulStrangio
Daily Mail
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Wild conspiracy erupts over 'pencil voting' in Australia - but here's why you don't use a pen
An Aussie has questioned why voters are given pencils instead of pens when marking their ballot paper, raising fears their preferences could be erased and replaced. A 19-year-old first-time voter questioned the method after heading to a polling booth on Saturday. 'Why do they give us pencils to vote?' they wrote on Reddit. 'I know this is extremely unlikely to even happen but voting in pencil means if someone gets my ballot they can erase and change my vote. 'Sure you can also somewhat erase ink but it's a lot harder, such a simple change for an increase in security so why the pencil?' The Australian Electoral Commission states 'since 2020 under section 206 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 the AEC is required to provide an "implement or method for voters to mark their ballot papers".' Prior to the 2020 change, the provision of pencils used to be a legal requirement. The AEC has 'found from experience that pencils are the most reliable implements' for marking ballot papers. Unlike pens, pencils do not run out and polling booth staff check and sharpen pencils throughout election day. The AEC also notes that pencils can be stored more easily between elections and 'they work better in tropical areas'. Although pencils are the writing tool provided to voters at polling centres, voters are allowed to mark their ballot paper with a pen if they wish to do so. In response to the 19-year-old's question, one Aussie reassured the first time voter that polling stations' security prevents ballot paper tampering. 'There are no erasers provided,' they said. 'So when the ballots are scrutinised the erasure immediately looks like a red flag, but also no one would have time to do it. 'If they had opportunity to erase your ballot paper, it would be easier for them just to replace it with a fake one, in which case a pen isn't going to save it.' Another voter explained they were provided with a replacement ballot paper rather than an eraser during one election after making a mistake. 'One time I was filling in the complete below the line senate paper, when if you did below the line you had to complete all 1 to 176 votes,' they wrote. 'When I made a mistake, duplicated a number, so I asked if they had an eraser- they did not, they had to cancel that paper and give me a new one instead.' Gen Z and millennials outnumbered baby boomer voters in the federal election for the first time ever on Saturday. Paul Strangio, emeritus professor in politics at Monash University, told the ABC their mindset was very different to the older generations. 'They're not reaching the sort of milestones that previous generations did, such as home ownership, marrying [and] having children,' he said. 'Those things used to predispose people to becoming more conservative in their outlook.'
ABC News
01-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Why Gen Z and millennial voters could deliver unexpected election results
They're disillusioned, resentful and many suspect the system is rigged against them. For the first time, Gen Z and millennial voters outnumber baby boomers at the federal election — and most of them aren't reaching the same milestones as their parents. More than 7 million Australians Political analysts say their grievances could deliver unexpected results in marginal seats. A widening wealth gap Paul Strangio, emeritus professor in politics at Monash University, said generational inequality could be driving "unpredictable" voting patterns among Gen Zs and millennials. "They're not reaching the sort of milestones that previous generations did, such as home ownership, marrying [and] having children," Dr Strangio said. "Those things used to predispose people to becoming more conservative in their outlook." Stay updated: Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on Australia's birth rate recently Photo shows A woman holds a black dog overlooking the beach. To understand why 30-somethings feel like they're struggling financially, the ABC analysed five factors — housing, healthcare, debt, tax, and income. UNSW economics professor Richard Holden said while many young voters earn higher incomes today than their parents did at their age, it was now much harder to build wealth through property ownership. "I'm not sure there's rising intergenerational income inequality, but there's a good case to worry about wealth inequality," he said. "And I'd say that aspect is getting worse." Many young Australians say they can't compete with older buyers at auctions. ( ABC News: Michael Coggan ) Tim Harcourt, an economist at the University of Technology Sydney, agreed the wealth disparity between generations was becoming increasingly acute. "It's really starting to bite now as the Baby Boomers retire into their defined benefits superannuation schemes and extra properties," he said. "I think housing is a red button issue … and that's where the youth reaction will be really important." Young voters 'a ticking time bomb' Dr Strangio said voters typically became more conservative as they grew older, but now they're skewing further to the left and feeling increasingly dissatisfied with the major parties. "Young voters are a ticking time bomb," he said. "They're facing real wage declines, high costs for education, difficulty in getting into the housing market and yet so far I think they've been quiet tolerant." Photo shows A smiling, dark-haired young woman in flared jeans stands in bare feet on a house veranda. Young people in some of Australia's most expensive regional towns are disappointed with both major parties, as experts warn their policies are likely to push house prices up even further. But he warned their patience wouldn't last forever. "When we look overseas to places like Trump's America, young men are being attracted to aggressive, populist policies because of inequalities," he said. "I think it's a warning that we do need to address those things with some urgency because we don't want to see those sorts of trends." Professor Harcourt said while the youth vote typically skewed to the left in inner-city electorates, voting patterns would be harder to predict among tradies or factory workers in rural areas. "It's quite unpredictable in the outer suburbs where there's housing stress and population stress, where there is a view that the infrastructure is not keeping up with the population growth," he said. Read more about the federal election: Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 Climate change remains a concern Aside from housing affordability and the cost of living, a new YouGov poll suggests young voters remain deeply concerned about the impacts of climate change. Earlier this year, Australians' social media accounts lit up with videos of A kayaker navigating floodwaters in Lockyer Valley in south-east Queensland. ( Supplied: Michelle Badke ) According to the YouGov poll, four-in-five young voters said climate change would influence their vote in the federal election. The poll of 1,622 adult Australian voters, commissioned by Solutions for Climate Australia, found 79 per cent of Gen Zs and 73 per cent of millennials said climate change was an important part of their decision-making at the polling booth. About 67 per cent of undecided voters also said climate change was important in determining their vote. Australian Youth Climate Coalition national director Grace Vegesana said the issue wasn't going away. Grace Vegesana says young people will continue to prioritise climate action. ( Supplied: Grace Vegesana ) "I think the parties who ignore young people will pay the price at the ballot box," she said. "Young people under 40 do deeply care about the climate crisis and if they're not seeing solutions … they will vote accordingly." She said many young voters reported feeling left behind this election. "We are going to see a shift away from the major parties as people realise [we] want to see ambition, and not just be handed baseline policies that continue business as usual," she said. Loading Having trouble seeing this form? Try
