AEC reveals early voting turnout

VOTERS have hit pre-poll booths across Cairns in droves as campaign fatigue led Leichhardt residents to cast their ballots almost two weeks before the May 21 poll.

The Australian Electoral Commission reported that on Monday 2732 residents voted in the Leichhardt area. There were 2,260 who voted in the Kennedy constituency.

This is ahead of the 794 Leichhardt residents that showed up on the first day of pre-polls to vote in 2019.

In total, 40,684 people in the Leichhardt region participated in the early votes in 2019 over the course of the entire pre-poll period.

A spokeswoman confirmed there has been an increase in early voting nationally as voter turnout rose from 22 per cent in 2016 to 31.59 per cent in 2019. The AEC anticipates a further increase in 2022.