CITY MESSAGE NOT REACHING VOTERS
GOLD Coasters are questioning the city’s messaging as they head to polling booths for this weekend’s local Government elections.
For people to avoid the penalty of $133.45 for not voting and to protect voters from the COVID-19 outbreak, the electoral commission is upping their cleaning of polling booths and encouraging voters to bring their own pen or pencil to vote.
Christopher Bourke, 67, from Nerang said he didn’t know about any of the new initiatives when he went to vote yesterday at the Southport Community Centre.
“I’m finding it strange there isn’t that flexibility not to have to go out in public to vote,” he said.
“The election has been on for a while and it could have been changed, there are all sorts of things you can do if you put your mind to it.
“Clearly whoever was making that call didn’t want to do so.”
Labrador resident Leigh Wesley, 30, said people should be able to vote while the state isn’t in full lockdown but acknowledged he only knew about the electoral commission’s hygiene measures through his own research.
“What is frustrating is I haven’t been given any information directly about staying safe while voting, I found it all while following the news coverage,” he said.
Clair Berman-Robinson, 31, from Runaway Bay agreed that it’s important for people to still have a voice but said she’s decided to vote early to avoid large crowds.
“It seems like they are using common sense and giving us some flexibility,” she said.