Rita Panahi: Skewing of Voice referendum like bias you’d see in a despot nation

The AEC’s skewing of the Voice referendum by declaring that a tick will count as a ‘yes’ vote but a cross will not count as a ‘no’ vote is a step too far.

The Australian Electoral Commission appears determined to damage its good name and standing by engaging in pro-yes chicanery.

The AEC has again raised the ire of the ‘no’ camp, this time for declaring that a tick will count as a ‘yes’ vote in the race based referendum but a cross will not count as a ‘no’ vote.

It’s the sort of bias from officialdom you’d expect to see in a despot nation.

Cynical souls have concluded that ‘the fix is in’. Call me naive but one must not automatically ascribe to malice what may be adequately explained by gross incompetence, if I may borrow from an old adage.

Of course there is a level of ideological capture at the AEC as evidenced by a recent public campaign that they say was meant to lift Indigenous representation on the electoral roll but looked a lot like pro-yes messaging.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese holds a press conference for The Voice referendum at the Sydney Opera House. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers. Picture: Sky News

However, this latest misstep is so monumental that I’d be shocked if it is not reversed, and quickly.

On Wednesday AEC Commissioner Tom Rogers was on Sky News assuring Australians that his organisation was “spending a lot of time talking to the community about what constitutes a valid vote”.

He also made this remarkable comment: “But I need to be very clear with people, when we look at that it is likely that a tick will be accepted as a formal vote for yes but a cross will not be accepted as a formal vote,” he said.

So, the brains trust at the AEC has determined that if a voter misunderstands the requirement to write ‘yes’ or ‘no’ or if their English is so poor that they can only use a symbol, then they can only cast a valid vote for ‘yes’.

A storm is brewing around how yes and no votes for the referendum will be counted.

The AEC misstep is monumental. Picture: David Geraghty

Opposition leader Peter Dutton has called the decision “completely outrageous”. He said: “Australians want a fair election, not a dodgy one.”

How can a tick be considered yes but a cross not be considered no? It’s one or the other. Either both are invalid or both are valid. Otherwise the referendum will be unfairly skewed in one direction.

We already have an uneven playing field with the cashed-up ‘yes’ camp backed by the big corporates including ANZ, CBA, Westpac, NAB, Rio Tinto, BHP, Qantas, Transurban, Telstra, Coles, Wesfarmers and Woolworths as well as major sporting bodies like the AFL, NRL, Cricket Australia and Tennis Australia and the usual cavalcade of virtue signalling celebrities and activists.

To have the AEC skew the vote is a step too far.