Queensland Election 2017: Voters choose to go early as pre-polling opens

A THIRD of Queenslanders are expected to cast their votes in pre-polling, which opens today, as increasing numbers of voters turn off from political promises.

Cairns recorded the highest number of pre-poll voters in Queensland at the 2015 State Election. Picture: Stewart McLean

A THIRD of Queenslanders are expected to cast their votes in pre-polling, which opens today, as increasing numbers of voters turn off from political promises.

Party sources expect the November 25 timing before the holiday season to drive a record early turnout in pre-polling and postal votes, in an escalating trend that’s changing the way MPs have to campaign.

TODAY’S POLL QUESTION

Griffith University political commentator Paul Williams said parties traditionally finished big with key campaign promises close to polling day, but that was increasingly becoming too late to make a difference to large chunks of the community.

He said the popularity of postal voting had exploded in recent years as voters increasingly realised they could avoid long lines at polling centres and reclaim their Saturday.

Nearly 800,000 people – or 30 per cent of 2.67 million registered voters – cast their ballot in the two weeks before the 2015 election day.

About 30 per cent of voters pre-polled in 2015. Picture: Stewart McLean

And almost one in five Queenslanders voted early in last year’s federal poll, equalling Victorians as Australia’s most impatient voters.

The new political reality has seen the LNP shovel out major policies in the first fortnight, including $1.3 billion to build new dams, reforms to lower power bills and $500 million for a joint Commonwealth-funded second M1.

“There’s no doubt that that’s factored into the LNP’s thinking to front-end their campaign with big campaign promises, but that’s precarious in itself,” Dr Williams said.

“You don’t want to overwhelm people. You should build to your crescendo. It’s a fine balance.

“If you front-end, you steal your own thunder in the final week.”

Dr Williams said the LNP had clearly won the first two weeks but warned that Labor could finish strong as former premier Anna Bligh did in 2009.

“The past week has obviously been a disaster for Labor,” he said. “They were obviously going for the long game.”

But he said the last week could still be just as important as the first.

“If there are skeletons in the closet that come out or, for example, a treasurer or shadow treasurer fluffs their costings, that’s obviously going to matter.”

Originally published as Queensland Election 2017: Voters choose to go early as pre-polling opens