LNP candidate caught pretending to voting for herself

The LNP’s candidate for a weekend by-election has posted a photo that purports to show her pretending to vote for herself. There’s just one problem.

The LNP’s candidate for Inala Trang Yen has been exposed pretending to vote for herself in the state by-election, despite the fact she’s ineligible because she does not live in the electorate.

Ms Yen released a series of photos to social media late Wednesday night with the caption “Voted!”. The images showed a yellow Lord Mayoral ballot paper and pink Inala by-election paper, in which a number one is placed next to Ms Yen’s name.

Another image showed Ms Yen and the LNP’s Brisbane City Council Forest Lake candidate Kylie Gates each holding a pink by-election paper over the ballot box.

Ms Yen on Thursday insisted only the yellow council ballot paper was hers and agreed with a question asking if the state paper belonged to Ms Gates.

“Yep … she’s in the photo with me,” Ms Yen responds.

LNP Inala by-election candidate Trang Yen puts ballot papers in the box alongside Brisbane City Council election Forest Lake candidate Kylie Gates.

However, the LNP later clarified it was not Ms Gates’s state ballot paper, but it belonged to the person who took the photo of the pair.

“Ms Yen was promoting the need for people to vote in this weekend’s by-election for the seat of Inala, where voters will also have to navigate ballots for two levels of government with two separate voting systems,” an LNP spokesman said.

“The person whose ballot paper Ms Yen is holding took the photo and that person also put the ballot paper in the ballot box after she took that photo.

“At no stage has Ms Yen voted in any way that she shouldn’t have.”

Ms Yen lives in South Brisbane and is ineligible to vote in Inala, Queensland’s safest seat and previously held by Labor’s Annastacia Palaszczuk with a 28 per cent margin.

Ms Yen did not respond directly when asked if it was misleading to claim she “voted” in the Inala by-election.

“It was an opportunity for myself, my council candidate Kylie Gates … supporting my colleague,” she said.

“I’ve pre-voted in the council because Saturday is really, really busy.”

LNP Inala by-election candidate Trang Yen puts ballot papers in the box.

An Electoral Commission of Queensland spokeswoman said booth staff witnessed the incident.

“ECQ staff who were present at the time have confirmed that the ballot paper being held by Ms Yen belonged to a third individual enrolled to vote in the Inala electorate, and that this elector, who is not pictured, asked Ms Yen to place the ballot paper in the ballot box on their behalf,” she said.

“The ECQ is confident that correct ballot papers were issued to all three individuals.

“There are no restrictions on an elector asking someone else to place the ballot paper in the ballot box.”

ECQ rules dictate only voters enrolled at their address for one month are able to vote.

The Inala electoral roll closed at 6pm on February 5, meaning Ms Yen would have had to have lived in the electorate by at least January 5.

She was named the LNP’s candidate on February 3.

Labor has selected Margie Nightingale to contest Inala, which was vacated on December 31 following the resignation of Ms Palaszczuk – who quit as premier 21 days earlier.

The former premier was spotted on the campaign trail last week joining Ms Nightingale to hand out how-to-vote cards.

Ms Yen is an employee in the Department of State Development, previously overseen by Premier Steven Miles.