Ballarat exit poll: Early voters appear to favour Labor

We asked people at the Ballarat Showgrounds booth which party they listed as their first preference. Here’s what they said.

We asked 100 early voters at the Ballarat Showgrounds booth which party they preferred.

Exit polling suggests Ballarat voters are favouring Labor in the federal election as thousands turn out to cast their ballot early.

Although election day is May 21, early voting began on Monday.

We asked 100 people at the Ballarat Showgrounds booth which party they listed as their first preference in the House of Representatives.

Of them, 53 said Labor, 36 said LNP, 10 said Greens, and one person said the Liberal Democrats.

David Izard used to vote for the LNP, but switched to Labor because he no longer trusts the former party.

“I don’t believe in them now,” he said.

“I can’t stand the mucking around by [Prime Minister Scott] Morrison.

“I try not to be too tied up in the leadership and look at the broader issues. The one thing I don’t like about Australian politics is that they’re all too leadership central: it’s all either ScoMo or Albo and I just don’t think that gives a true indication of the parties.”

Chris, who did not wish to give her surname, voted for Labor because of what she considered “corruption” demonstrated by the government in the past three years.

“It needs to get the brakes on it, so hopefully, Greens and Labor has always been my preference,” she said

“We’re really, as a country, struggling at the moment and I think we need to define ourselves as a country again.”

Janeen Stewart voted for the LNP, saying that now was not the time for a change in the nation’s leadership.

“I think our prime minister needs to be a statesman that can be represented in the world and I don’t think Albanese has the personality,” she said

“He doesn’t speak well – he mumbles, he fumbles – he’s not someone I’d like to have on the world stage representing my country.”

The line of early voters at the Ballarat Showgrounds polling booth on the morning of May 9.

Mark Crowden thought it was best to maintain the status quo, voting for the LNP.

“Probably first and foremost I feel that we’re better to stick with the devil we know, particularly after what we’ve been through with the pandemic,” he said.

“You shouldn’t vote for the head of a party, but I don’t know how Anthony Albanese becomes the head of the Labor Party anyway, so little faith.

“I probably do have an issue with trade unions and Labor’s affiliation to that, so Liberals for me.”

Jenna Porter voted for the Greens, not only for the sake of the environment, but because “the Greens seem like they actually want to do something about mental health, housing affordability, dental in Medicare, and all those kind of things”.

“It’s mostly the policy I’m more looking at than who’s doing it,” she said.

Maryann, who also wished not to provide a surname, thought the Greens should have more of the balance of power as that would make the other parties “have to negotiate a bit more”.

“Their policies [those of the Greens] are what I would lean towards,” she said.

“We don’t know much about Anthony Albanese yet because he hasn’t been in power, but we do know what Scott Morrison’s like, and the integrity thing is a big thing.

“It’s like kids: it’s not my fault, there’s always an excuse, and it doesn’t seem sincere.”