Qld election 2020: Investigation into unsealed ballot boxes underway
ECQ officials will count the votes contained in five ballot boxes with undone seals and an investigation into the the cause is underway.
Polling booths
Don't miss out on the headlines from Polling booths. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Electoral Commission of Queensland (ECQ) officials investigating five instances of broken seals on ballot boxes containing early votes have confirmed the votes will be counted.
The ECQ has revealed seals on boxes from voting centres in Bancroft, Mulgrave, Glasshouse, Redcliffe, and Springwood/Waterford have either been “accidentally cut or came loose”.
QLD election 2020 live: Annastacia Palaszczuk says borders could open on November 1
Trialling youth curfews to ‘keep communities safe ... deserves to be examined’
Witness statements are being taken to determine what has happened.
An ECQ spokeswoman said the incidents were being managed by the ECQ and local Returning Officers.
“Action being taken includes quarantining the ballot boxes until close of polling and taking witness statements from all involved including scrutineers who were present,” she said.
“All candidates and relevant party representatives are being kept informed as part of this process.
“The ECQ will consider the information gathered through this process to determine the appropriate course of action.
“Based on current information available, there is no evidence the ballot papers have been dealt with improperly nor is there a reason why the ballots should not be included in the count.”
It’s understood the first instance occurred yesterday.
The ECQ came under fire following the local government elections in March because there were limited online updates for several councils and the Currumbin by-election when counting started.
The body blamed it on a technical issue that affected the data feed from polling booths to the ECQ’s results website.
Bancroft MP Chris Whiting said, “I’m confident in the process that the ECQ have started to examine any mistakes and Queenslanders can be confident in the integrity of our voting system.”
Originally published as Qld election 2020: Investigation into unsealed ballot boxes underway