Coronavirus Qld: Phone voting plan for self-isolated

Help is at hand for those wanting to vote at this month’s Queensland council elections, but who might be in isolation due to coronavirus concerns.

QUEENSLANDERS who are in self-isolation could be allowed to cast their council election vote over the phone.

The Electoral Commission of Queensland was yesterday urging political parties and candidates to not directly hand out how to vote cards, but to leave them on a table for people to pick up instead.

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It came as Redland Mayor Karen Williams called on the state to waive fines for those carrying Queensland seniors cards who were unable to vote.

The election is still likely to go ahead on March 28, with the ECQ looking to extend pre-poll opening hours amid a wave of early votes in the past two days.

Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath said yesterday alternative measures were being put in place for those voters who were unable to leave their home to cast their vote by post or at the ballot box.

“Many of those people will be able to vote by telephone, and those facilities are being ramped up significantly right now,” she said.

“We are putting in place other measures to ensure that people still get that opportunity to vote.”

Ms D’Ath defended the Government’s decision not to extend the postal voting application deadline beyond Monday, pointing out that suppliers would not be able to supply “en masse” a large number of voting envelopes.

“These envelopes have secret markers for integrity,” she said.

“They are not the sort of envelopes that everyone can reproduce quickly.

“The supply chain has been hit by what has happened globally.”