Gilmore votes: Key South Coast seat leading national pre-polling trend
The pivotal South Coast seat of Gilmore is recording an unprecedented number of pre-poll ballots with nearly half of eligible voters likely to have done so before Saturday. It’s a trend in evidence across the state.
The South Coast News
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The popularity of pre-polling has gone through the roof this election with 3.9 million Australians casting their ballot by the close of business on Wednesday.
This is up around 10 per cent from the 2019 election, according to data from the Australian Electoral Commission and this is despite this year’s pre-poll period being one week shorter than last.
If this trend continues, it will mean five million Australians – close to a third of eligible voters – will have already voted ahead of Election Day.
Voters in the South Coast seat of Gilmore have had one of the strongest inclinations to cast their ballot early with 33.3 per cent having already done so as of close of business on Wednesday.
Apparently #Gilmore is a key electorate… #auspolpic.twitter.com/Roup5kV1sV
— Dylan Arvela (@dylanarvela) May 17, 2022
The only seats with a higher percentage of pre-polling at this stage is the Queensland electorate of Hinkler (35.8 per cent) which takes in Bundaberg and Hervey Bay and Fowler in Sydney (33.5 per cent) where Labor’s Kristina Keneally is trying to overcome Independent and local deputy mayor, Dai Le.
Kiama deputy mayor Imogen Draisma was rallying around potential Labor voters at the town’s pre-poll station at the Joyce Wheatley Community Centre on Thursday.
Cr Draisma said there are multiple factors spurring people to get out and vote.
“We’re going quite well in terms of our early voting,” she said.
“And that’s because some people are travelling and it’s going to be wet on Saturday.
“There’s a lot of young voters who are very well informed who are looking forward to casting their vote for the first time and we also have an elderly demographic so you’ll find a lot of carers are bringing their clients down to vote.”
Cr Draisma believes the pre-poll numbers are unlikely to trend downwards in future elections.
“Ultimately people have made up their mind and on Saturday we will find out what that is,” she said.
“This time for the first time we will be counting the pre-poll from 4pm onwards so that’s really indicative of where voting is heading towards.
“People are voting early and it will be good to have some of those pre-poll votes earlier in the night because that tends to be a large deciding factor of how the night will go.”
Kiama Greens volunteer Mark Whalan said he’s been manning various polling stations around the region and is noticing the record turnout.
“I’ve done two different federal election pre-polls in Gilmore and Whitlam and I’ve done this for quite a long time and it definitely feels like it’s up,” Mr Whalan said.
“When I spoke to the Electoral Officer at Ribbonwood Centre (in Dapto) two days ago they said they put 1700 pre-poll ballots out the back the previous day which is an enormous number.”
Sue Lawrence, a staunch Labor voter, was having a chat with some volunteers on Thursday after taking her grandson to the adjoining Hindmarsh Park.
Despite having no issues disclosing who she will be voting for and standing 10 metres away from the polling booths, Mrs Lawrence said she will be waiting until Saturday.
“I think people have made up their minds early and are coming out to vote early,” Mrs Lawrence said.
“We haven’t voted yet, we will come out on Saturday, but I know where my vote’s going, I could have voted yesterday or whenever.
“My husband said we will vote on Saturday, maybe he wants the sausage sizzle.”
More than a fifth of eligible residents have already voted in the Illawarra with 25.6 per cent having voted in Whitlam and 19.4 per cent in Cunningham.
Further down the coast in Labor-held Eden-Monaro 27.5 per cent of voters have cast their ballot, which is significantly more than in neighbouring Hume, held by Government Minister Angus Taylor, where only 18.5 per cent have voted early.
The electorates in other states and territories leading the pre-polling way are Gippsland (32 per cent) in Victoria, Solomon (31 per cent) in the Top End, Canning (29 per cent) in Western Australia, Fenner (27 per cent) in the ACT, Mayo (21 per cent) in South Australia and Braddon (16 per cent) in Tasmania.
The Apple Isle is resisting the pre-polling urge with Lyons (12.7 per cent), Franklin (13.8 per cent) and Clark (14.3 per cent) occupying bottom five.
However, the lowest pre-polling electorate is Adelaide, with only 11.8 per cent.
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