Show up or pay up

With a three year term for Federal parliament and four year terms for both State and Local government we are called upon once each year or so to vote. It’s not a huge commitment. You show up at your local school, church or community hall on a particular Saturday. You exercise, if you wish, the option to buy a sausage sandwich or tray of cakes in support of the abovementioned organisations. You get your name marked off. You make your mark on the ballot paper. Then you go home.

Of course in recent years, in recognition of busier lives and 24/7 rosters, pre-poll voting has become more common. Come election day many of us have already ticked it off our to-do lists. Is that because A: we want to participate in democracy as soon as possible or B: we want it over and done with it and can thereafter shut out the incessant political advertising? I suspect it’s a little from column A and a whole lot from column B.

I have shared similar statistics with readers before, but it bears repeating. Even with the enhanced prepoll voting options of recent years, at the Federal election in May last year, just over 90% of enrolled voters actually voted. At the last NSW election in 2019 the figure was 89%. At the 2021 Local Government election turnout was a mere 83%.

An apparent failure to vote notice of $55 is issued to anyone whose name is not marked off the roll by election day. Not knowing that an election was being held is not sufficient reason to escape this fine. The NSW State election is on Saturday 25 March.