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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Anne Davies

High number of invalid votes in culturally diverse seats prompts concerns after federal election

An Australian Electoral Commission employee marks a voter off the electoral roll
A high informal vote in some electorates has raised concerns about the level of understanding among some groups of voters about the voting system. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

More than one in 10 votes were ruled invalid in the multicultural seat of Fowler, raising serious questions about whether explanations of Australia’s compulsory preferential voting system are getting through.

Fowler, in Sydney’s south-west, has one of the highest non-English-speaking populations, many of whom have come to Australia as refugees from countries with very different political systems.

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