OPINION: Seriously nerdy number crunchers play the preferences and skew the system

OPINION: The Senate is a democratic institution that shouldn't be open to nutters and fringe dwellers, but that's what we have after the 2013 election.

minor parties

THE Senate is a democratic institution that shouldn't be open to nutters and fringe dwellers, but four days after the 2013 election it is - thanks to some seriously nerdy gaming of the system.

This fixing of the Upper House lottery began in New South Wales about five years ago when some Labor-inclined fixers saw an opportunity to balance a falling ALP primary vote.

In a blueprint for the future, the Outdoor Recreation Party took advantage of preference flows to turn just 7000 votes into 400,000 - and a seat in the NSW Legislative Council.

Now the system is being seriously gamed at a national level, which is why the 2014 Senate, due to sit in July next year, will likely include representatives of the deceptively named Liberal Democrats, the Motoring Enthusiasts, and the Australian Sports Party.

These were all part of the minor party alliance which relied on the help of Sydney labourer Glenn Druery, known as the "preference whisperer".

The most extreme example of this Senate gaming was in Western Australia, where Wayne Dropulich - he of the Sports Party - parlayed a primary vote of just 1909 personal votes (or 0.2 per cent of the total) into 124,710 and a quota.

Similar anomalies were thrown up across the country.

In South Australia, for example, the Labor Party managed 27 per cent of the vote - just over a point short of two quotas - but only had one senator elected.

A similar thing happened to Nick Xenophon's group, which won 26 per cent of the votes but only one spot.

These are skewed outcomes in anyone's language. The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters reviews every election after it's held and will start its examination of this 2013 event either late this year or early in 2014.

You can bet they will put the Senate voting and results under the microscope.

One option would be to do away with "above the line" voting and making a "below line vote" of 1 to 6 regarded as formal, with the option of going further, and the ballot stays formal for as far as a voter might wish.

Other options could relate to the number of members needed for registering a party or the deposit required.

If there are no changes, Labor and the Coalition will set up micro parties and game the system, sparking an electoral arms race that will make the whole Senate election a complete farce.