A fantastic election outcome

August 22, 2010 in Campaigns, Federal Election, Rants & Raves
Tags: ABC, accountability, ALP, Australia, Australian Greens, ballot box, Bob Brown, climate change, democracy, education, environmental sustainability, federal government, Greens, Liberals, personal opinion, political advertising, political parties, politics, public eduction, public health care, voters, workers rights

Get the official election results from the AEC

Well who would’ve predicted this outcome or even laid a wager against such an outcome.

Although the AEC is saying that there are still some days to go as pre-polls, absentee and postal votes to be counted, so there could be some changes in the final result.

In any respect the Australian voters have made their voice heard. It’s hard to say what were the motivations behind individual voters and teh final reasons that lead them to vote the way they voted.

From what was overheard on election day, while handing out ‘How-To-Vote’ (HTV) cards in a very safe Labor seat, most people voted the way they’ve always voted, either Labor or Liberal. There was a noticeable difference though, with a lot of voters more than prepared to take a Greens HTV card, saying they’d have a look – something you don’t often hear during the day. Of course there were a few lighter moments during the day with a few people expressing their extreme dislike of ‘forcing people to vote’. There were also a few more first-time voters which also made a difference. It was rather pleasing the Liberal vote on the booth I spent the day at, went down.

Most people were very polite, and in the usual Australian way, took everyone’s HTV cards, which also disguises for whom (grammar check!) they’re voting.

A frustration that I have at the moment is the regular reference by the Liberals about how they won the popular vote, when on primary votes, the ALP still leads each individual party on votes. Even on a 2PP basis, the AEC shows that the ALP is clinging on with a 50.68 to 49.32 lead.

Anyway, I’d suggest while you’re watching ABC News 24 (and I know you are!) to also check out the AEC’s official results to cross-reference the ‘analysis’. There is also growing speculation, among mainstream media, that the parliament is heading for a hung parliament, and are starting to reach for the constitution for an answer. This could very well be the case, meaning there could be some roll for the Governor-General.

So far it’s proving to be a fantastic election outcome, but there’s still some exciting times ahead.