AEC encounters online trolls questioning the integrity of Australia’s electoral processes

The Australian Electoral Commission is adjusting to a change in tone on its social media channels, including the targeting of its temporary staff.

More than 97 per cent of eligible Australians are enrolled to vote in the referendum. Picture: AAP

The Australian Electoral Commission is adjusting to a change in tone on its social media channels, including the targeting of its temporary staff.

AEC commissioner Tom Rogers described the aggression as invariably from people who wished to score points rather than seek information. Those people routinely expressed a lack of faith in election processes.

As the AEC prepares for the referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament, Mr Rogers addressed media about its work.

“One thing we prize is civility … we would love it if the debate about the referendum remained respectful,” Mr Rogers said.

More than 97 per cent of eligible Australians are enrolled to vote in the referendum, which Anthony Albanese has said will be held in October, November or December. While enrolment rates are at a record high, the AEC believes it will be higher by the day of the referendum. The organisation is also working to bolster the number of Indigenous adults on the electoral roll. Only 84.5 per cent of eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are now enrolled.

During the NSW election, the AEC was confronted by online threats to staff. In one instance, a person employed to work for the AEC on election day in March was photographed and their photograph posted online with an assertion that the staff member was a thief. This was not correct and the person who made the post offered no evidence.

Mr Rogers said AEC staff were being more judicious in how they responded to comments online that were clearly designed to provoke.