Locked gate and coronavirus stir anger at quiet Shailer Park booth

A locked side gate and coronavirus sparked concerns at Shailer Park State High School, where early voters were forced to walk to another entrance.

Social distancing in play at Shailer Park State High school polling booth.

A LOCKED side gate and coronavirus sparked concerns at Shailer Park State High School, where early voters were forced to walk to another entrance.

Supporters who had lined up posters since 5am did a mad scramble to decorate the next entrance from Cornubia Park Dr.

LOGAN POLLS OPEN

WATCHDOG RULES ON CANDIDATES

LOGAN CANDIDATES: FULL LIST

Voters stuck to the 2m space rule and were quick to line up, vote and get out.

Many were voting to avoid a fine while others wanted to get their point across.

Robert Jockisch of Shailer Park, 75, was furious he had to vote.

Robert Jockisch of Shailer Park was angry the poll was not cancelled.

“I’m only here because I don’t want to get fined,” he said.

“I was deciding whether to vote or not. We should not be voting today I can’t believe we have to. It should have been called off.”

Another family we spoke to only went to the booth because the postal vote didn’t arrive in time.

“My dad has cancer, which is why I’m wearing a mask. We tried to postal vote but it never arrived and pre-polling was so busy we decided to do it first thing today,” the woman said.

Her son is at risk of coronavirus as he suffers asthma.

“We took him out of school early and we are doing all we can to be safe.”

Another voter who wanted to remain anonymous said he worked in disability care and he had worked 60 hours last week.

“Voting was the right thing to do today. We are part of a democracy and this was the only way I could have a say so I have put up with the risk to vote.”