In November 2021 Anthony Albanese tried to defend his Labor Party stand to disallow producing ID at polling booths. He contended that because the AEC has not prosecuted a single person, despite that years earlier 18,000 people were found to have voted more than once was proof that the system is working well—say what Albo?
Labor and the bloody Greens don't want ID verification because, well, you figure why. Furthermore, if the AEC were to prosecute any of the 18,000 that Albanese considers as mere "errors" it would highlight the fact that the system is wide open to fraud. Also, if they could prove multiple voting by any person what would they do with that person’s vote? Is the perpetrator suddenly going to be honest and tell to whom his illegal vote was cast so it could be withdrawn? Ho, Ha,Ha, Get real!
Committing voter fraud via multiple voting is easier than getting to a polling booth.The fraud is only discovered long after the winner is determined and actually, catching a perpetrator is virtually nil, and reporting such incidents is not in the interests of those who in the AEC who collect large salaries to publicise a litany of incompetent screw-ups. Is it??
SCENARIO:
Published in Morning Mail, October 24 2016
AEC admits voting fraud
Welcome to the AEC's Comedy Hour.
Welcome ladies and Gentlemen and which ever of the 62 alternate genders you choose to be. Tonight the hilarious Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers will have you rolling in the aisles with laughter as he interviews a voter who multiple voted and if found guilty will go to jail and with no further ado, let's have a big hand the Electoral Commissioner, Mr Tom Rogers.
Tom: Thank you, thank you. I want you to meet Hecktor Pecksnurkus from NSW. We have caught Hecktor for multiple voting in the last federal election, our records show Hecktor voted 11 times, what do you say to that Hecktor?
Hecktor: Bullshit!
Tom: What do you mean by Bullshit Hecktor, your name was ticked off in 11 polling booths. What do you say?
Hecktor: I say the same thing, Bullshit. And I say prove that bullshit, Can you prove without doubt that I, in fact, entered any polling station in all of Australia? I mean a positive ID?
Tom: Well, not exactly. But your name was crossed out on 11 polling booths.
Hecktor: That's Bullshit. And, if I did what are you going to do?
Tom: Well, for a start, we will remove those 11 votes and recall the roughly $24 electoral funding.
Hecktor: Bullshit Tom, how would you know how I voted?
Tom: We would ask if you are a supporter of Labor or Liberal and if you are a Labor voter we would remove 11 votes from the Labor candidate. If you were a Liberal voter we remove 11 votes from them.
Hecktor: That's total bullshit Tom, what if I lied to you? You see Tom, it’s all bullshit!
According to Tom McIlroy at The Sydney Morning Herald, Updated October 19, 2016 — 7.50am first published at 7.27am.
More than 18,000 people asked to explain why they voted twice at election
Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers told a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday night 18,343 people have been asked to explain why their name was checked off more than once, with many expected to be in error. NSW, the most populous state, recorded 6760 instances of apparent multiple voting, compared with 4800 in Victoria and 2792 in Queensland.
Despite heavy fines and the risk of jail time for multiple voting, two people were marked off the electoral roll 11 times on July 2.
A further two people had their names marked off five times, while four others had four marks and 51 people had three marks.
NSW, the most populous state, recorded 6760 instances of apparent multiple voting, compared with 4800 in Victoria and 2792 in Queensland.
The Northern Territory recorded the fewest instances with 178.
Despite nearly 8000 cases of suspected voting fraud at the 2013 federal election, not a single person was prosecuted for multiple voting – including those who admitted to casting more than one ballot.
Of the 7743 suspect cases referred to the Australian Federal Police that year, just 65 were investigated and none progressed to a conviction.
Two voters appear to have voted early and voted often after they were marked off the electoral roll 11 times.
The Commonwealth Electoral Act allows for fines of $10,800 or up to a year in jail for people convicted of multiple votes. Anyone found to have impersonated someone else at the ballot box faces up to six months in jail or a fine of $1800.
Before this year's election the AEC wrote to more than 4600 people with a prior history of apparent multiple voting to remind them of the law.
Mr Rogers said individuals who had two or more marks next to their name at the past two elections were sent warning letters.
"We wrote to a select group of people we thought may be at risk of not understanding their obligations under the Electoral Act," he said.
"We've never done that before.
"That was an attempt to demonstrate the seriousness with which we treat this particular issue."
AEC officials will assess how many recipients of the letters are among those recorded as having their name marked off more than once.
Mr Roberts told the hearing he was determined to fix long queues at voting places before voters return to the polls. Long lines were reported in a number of states, caused by an increase in the number of questions voters asked and longer time needed to fill in ballots.
Earlier he said the AEC has begun some preparations for the planned same-sex marriage plebiscite, despite required legislation being unlikely to make it through Parliament.
