REVEALED: How many people didn't vote in Toowoomba election

WITH the final count declared in the recent local government elections, preliminary figures are showing a large number of voters didn’t turn out on polling day.

Vote counting in the Toowoomba Regional Council local government 2020 election continues at The Goods Shed, Sunday, March 29, 2020. Picture: Kevin Farmer

WITH the final count declared in the recent local government elections, preliminary figures are showing a large number of voters didn't turn out on polling day. 

An Electoral Commission of Queensland spokeswoman said based off initial figures, it appeared 20 per cent of electors did not vote on the day or in the lead-up to the March 28 local government elections.

She added that figure could change with the final count, and that an election report would reveal the total number when it was tabled in the coming months.

On the ECQ's numbers, the Toowoomba region local government electorate has 115,153 electors enrolled.

Based off initial figures, that would suggest approximately 20,000 did not vote in the recent election.

The ECQ spokeswoman said a failure to vote notice may be sent to non-voters, allowing them an opportunity to explain why they did not vote.

A fine from the ECQ for not voting is not automatic.

Toowomba South MP David Janetzki said there was "no doubt turn out was lower".

"Which is no surprise given the extraordinary circumstances," he said.

"It's obvious many people didn't want to risk voting because they were worried about coronavirus."

Mr Janetzki reiterated his previous pledge to "fight for any resident slapped with a fine in my electorate who declined to vote due to coronavirus fears".

Cr Carol Taylor said she didn't blame people "one little bit" for not turning out to vote.

"I don't believe the election should have been held as an attendance voting election … I don't believe the community should have been put at risk in that way."

Cr Taylor said she'd also had people ring her saying they had tried to apply for postal voting  the weekend before applications closed and the website had crashed every single day, and others trying to vote were on the phone for hours to the ECQ without answer.

"It was a raffle whether you could get anyone to take your phone vote," she said.

In the 2016 Local Government Elections, more than 95,000 voters from an electoral role of 110,214 turned out to vote, meaning approximately 13% of electors did not partake. 

Originally published as REVEALED: How many people didn't vote in Toowoomba election