Count continues
Ripon voters are still waiting to learn who will represent them in Victoria’s lower house for the next four years.
Vote counting has been going on since the November 24 state election but is yet to produce a clear outcome in the electorate, which encompasses Wimmera cities Ararat and Stawell.
Incumbent Liberal Louise Staley had a miniscule buffer of 79 votes between her and Labor challenger Sarah De Santis at 4pm yesterday, with 91.38 percent of the vote counted according to the Victorian Electoral Commission website.
Ripon is one of a few electorates that has been left waiting for the finalisation of vote counting.
The Bayswater, Brunswick and Nepean races are all separated by less than one percent of the vote, with about 90 percent of votes counted in each electorate.
Ripon was also one of the most marginal electorates at the 2014 state election, with Staley claiming the seat by just 0.8 percent ahead of Labor’s Daniel Mcglone after preferences.
Before 2014 Labor’s Joe Helper held the seat for 15 years.