Australian Federal Election Voting Explained

PA Pundits International ^ | 27 August 2010 | TonyfromOz

[TonyfromOz]

It's now been a full week since the Australian Federal election, and there is still no result. The way votes are tallied and how they are actually distributed among candidates may seem archaic to some, but, oddly, it is a system that works quite well. This post explains why some electorates are still in the balance even now. It also shows how a candidate might actually finish third after the Number one votes are tallied, and yet still become the member who gets elected.

[The Great RJ]

The parliamentary system is cumbersome at best. That God for the wisdom of our Founding Fathers who created a better system with certain outcomes.

[Yo-Yo]

In Australia, they have a 95+% voting participation rate. They also have mandatory voting, and you get to pay a fine if you don't vote and don't have a valid note from your mum.