COVID-19: Local elections still on despite public fears
Not even a pandemic can stop local councils, with the government confirming elections will go ahead.
Cairns
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JUST two days ago the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said COVID-19 was “threatening the whole of humanity, and the whole of humanity must fight back”.
Yesterday morning New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian said, in her daily press briefing, that “we don’t want people moving around the community” while every other expert and official that stood in front of a microphone pleaded with the community to stay at home and avoid social contact.
But despite of these warnings, and mounting public pressure, the local government elections are set to go ahead as an increasing number of COVID-19 cases are confirmed in Queensland
In the Tablelands constituents will turn out to cast their vote for mayor and divisional candidates in both the Mareeba Shire and Tablelands Regional councils.
The Electoral Commission Queensland’s (ECQ) decision to proceed with all local elections comes as Federal Government rules demand cafes, restaurants and libraries shut their doors.
The electoral commissioner of Queensland Pat Vidgen said local councils provided essential services to the community and elections would therefore go ahead.
“The average time it takes once entering an early voting centre is under three minutes, and even quicker if people bring their Voter Information Card,” he said.
“This, along with preventing candidates from handing election material directly to voters, will further limit the number of people gathering in or around a voting booth at any one time.”
But it’s clear many voters were not reassured by these measures with ECQ now imploring healthy Queenslanders to stop applying for telephone voting after the service experienced “unprecedented demand”.
As of this morning more than 1 million electors had cast their ballot at pre-polling stations, another 570,000 voters have received the material to vote by post, and 30,000 people have registered to complete the process by phone.
Mareeba Shire Council candidate Lenore Wyatt said that in her patch almost 8000 of the approximately 10,000 voters had their say by lunchtime today with 6802 constituents going to the ballot box early and just under 900 residents favouring post or telephone.
Mareeba mayoral hopeful Angela Toppin, TRC division 4 candidates Michael Hodgkins and the council’s current division 4 representative Samantha Banks all support the election going ahead.
Here’s what the candidates had to say about the poll progressing on Saturday.
ANGELA TOPPIN
As with all public directives at this time the decision to proceed with the elections is in the hands of the Electoral Commission, we candidates are directed by them in an arms length manner.
I feel that the elections should proceed, there is still adequate opportunity for people to pre-poll or vote via phone but only according to what they consider at safe and appropriate times. We especially, in this challenging time, need governance in our local regions as edicts and directives are issued by state and federal departments.
ECQ has been clear about social distancing and sanitising of hands, bringing your own pen or pencil, and not lingering around booths.
We are working through a gambit of emotions, fear and anxiety being at the top of the list and I want to reassure people that we will get through this.
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MICHAEL HODGKINS
The election is an important part of the Democratic right of all Australians and in particularly voters in Local Council Areas like the Tablelands Regional Council.
More than 1.3 million Queenslanders have already voted or will receive a postal vote before polling day and ECQ has increased capacity to accept telephone votes so phone voting will increase.
We are able to lodge our email address online on MyGov, I am registered and received a email from the ECQ for the council elections with a QR Code that allowed for a prompt lodging of my vote at pre-poll.
Using this technology and incorporating online voting technology, which already exists and can be monitored, would enable secret voting via internet.
We must protect all people from this pandemic and that should be our priority and an incoming council made up of some new faces will inject new ideas and therefore new solutions to aid and assist the current dilemma.
SAMANTHA BANKS
It is my understanding that more than half of the eligible voters have already voted and that there are unprecedented amount of registered postal voters, who are already returning their votes.
I believe that the election should still proceed, and having said that, I urge voters to heed social distancing directives and advice provided by the Electoral Commission while attending the polling booths, to keep not only yourself safe but those around you as well.
As a potential community leader and leading by example, I heeded the ECQ’s advice early last week and choose not to man the pre-polling booths.
I am also staying home unless it is absolutely necessary and attending meetings by phone.
We will get through this if we stay strong and support each other.
Originally published as COVID-19: Local elections still on despite public fears
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