# The senate ballot paper had 78 candidates! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 9, 2004, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-senate-ballot-paper-had-78-candidates/268344 "2004-10-09T06:54:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-senate-ballot-paper-had-78-candidates/268344/1 "2004-10-09T06:54:56Z")
I’ve just voted in the federal election being held in Australia today. The Senate ballot paper for my state (New South Wales) was over a metre long and had 78 candidates on it. It was quite a feat just manœuvring it around while I was in the voting booth and folding it up sufficiently to get it into the ballot box. ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-senate-ballot-paper-had-78-candidates/268344/2 "2004-10-09T07:18:34Z")
Ours (Victoria) had 65. Just to be difficult, I numbered all the boxes _below_ the line. Well, not just to be difficult - I also wanted to make sure Fred Nile’s candidates were number 64 and 65, and One Nation’s were 62 and 63. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-senate-ballot-paper-had-78-candidates/268344/3 "2004-10-09T07:34:37Z")
> [@Kayeby](#): > > Ours (Victoria) had 65. Just to be difficult, I numbered all the boxes _below_ the line. Yes, I took the \*below the line \* option as well. I like to make sure that my preferences are going precisely where I want them to go, and not just where some political party wants them to go. But it was a bit of a nuisance having to go all the way up to 78. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-senate-ballot-paper-had-78-candidates/268344/4 "2004-10-09T10:10:15Z")
Yay below-the-line voters. You rock! (can you tell where I put my senate votes? :D) Next month I also have the joy of voting for Melbourne City Council members. Last time we went through this performance, there were 95 names on the ballot :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-senate-ballot-paper-had-78-candidates/268344/5 "2004-10-09T10:47:21Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > Last time we went through this performance, there were 95 names on the ballot :eek: More candidates than voters, apparently. (I’m an American. I’m bitter about our low turnout on this side of the Equator.) ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-senate-ballot-paper-had-78-candidates/268344/6 "2004-10-09T10:51:47Z")
The below the line option gives me the warm and fuzzy illusion that I’m actually contributing to the political process. I have a browser window open charting the electoral updates - 63.95% of the primary vote counted and Liberal with a +2.08% swing (although it was at +2.18% a couple of hours ago, so it’s decreasing slightly). In my opinion, those how-to-vote cards shouldn’t be handed out at the gates, but should be stuck up in the polling booths. What a waste of paper. ---
**Author:** ![Gest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Gest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gest)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-senate-ballot-paper-had-78-candidates/268344/7 "2004-10-09T10:58:13Z")
> [@Kayeby](#): > > 63.95% of the primary vote counted and Liberal with a +2.08% swing (although it was at +2.18% a couple of hours ago, so it’s decreasing slightly). Hope springs eternal eh? Oh well. They made pubs for days like today. ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-senate-ballot-paper-had-78-candidates/268344/8 "2004-10-09T11:05:23Z")
Unfortunately I’m working on my Honours thesis (but procrastinating by constantly checking election results - at +2.01% currently) I did politics in high school, but I can’t remember - does anyone know what would happen if hypothetically John Howard weren’t elected to the HoR in his Bennelong seat? ---
**Author:** ![Gest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Gest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gest)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-senate-ballot-paper-had-78-candidates/268344/9 "2004-10-09T11:07:11Z")
No biggie constitutionally speaking. Costello has Higgins and will become PM. ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-senate-ballot-paper-had-78-candidates/268344/10 "2004-10-09T11:18:05Z")
Ah, thanks - that’s along the lines of what I thought would happen. Would be interesting to see it though … Higgens is my boyfriend’s division! I don’t recognise anyone in my division (Menzies) though. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-senate-ballot-paper-had-78-candidates/268344/11 "2004-10-09T11:27:06Z")
> [@Kayeby](#): > > 63.95% of the primary vote counted and Liberal with a +2.08% swing yeah, go on, ruin my evening why don’t you ☹😛 This is what I think they should do with how-to-vote cards … collate all the different ones in piles on a table, then when you go into the booth you take a stack, and put it back on the table when you’re done. That’s basically what we do, except that we have to run round all the different guys at the front gate to collect all them all, then do the same thing to return them to the right people afterwards. So - who’d Dopers vote for? My own personal scheme goes: \*People I like (in this case Greens) \*Interesting loonies \*Major parties \*People who don’t bother to tell me what they’re standing for \*Dangerous loonies (One Nation and the Citizens Electoral Council) ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-senate-ballot-paper-had-78-candidates/268344/12 "2004-10-09T12:03:43Z")
What is the platform of the Citizens Electoral Council? Could they possibly be more loony than the Fred Nile group or One Nation? I saw the CEC on the senate sheet, but I’ve never heard of them before. According to the newspapers, a Liberal win is pretty secure now. I’d pretty much expected the Liberals to win, but my boyfriend, who is normally right wing, was shocked. He said “But _no one_ likes John Howard -” (then looked at the figures) “- except, uh, everyone.” ---
**Author:** ![Gest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Gest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gest)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-senate-ballot-paper-had-78-candidates/268344/13 "2004-10-09T12:06:23Z")
> [@Kayeby](#): > > What is the platform of the Citizens Electoral Council? Google for “Lyndon LaRouche”. ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-senate-ballot-paper-had-78-candidates/268344/14 "2004-10-09T12:15:06Z")
Huh. I didn’t even know parties like that existed in Australian politics. But that’s another pet peeve of mine - parties with loony policies that deliberately give themselves very middle-of-the-road sounding names to mask their hatefulness. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-senate-ballot-paper-had-78-candidates/268344/15 "2004-10-10T01:49:47Z")
> [@Kayeby](#): > > Huh. > > I didn’t even know parties like that existed in Australian politics. But that’s another pet peeve of mine - parties with loony policies that deliberately give themselves very middle-of-the-road sounding names to mask their hatefulness. Like the Greens. [This](http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,10631241%255E25717,00.html) is an interesting article. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-senate-ballot-paper-had-78-candidates/268344/16 "2004-10-10T02:27:01Z")
What does “below the line” mean? Brian ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-senate-ballot-paper-had-78-candidates/268344/17 "2004-10-10T02:31:00Z")
There is a horizontal line across the voting paper (which is about a yard long with all the candidates names). You can vote above the line for a party- and your preferences go with the party- or you can vote below the line and number each individual candidate. ---
**Author:** ![Gest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Gest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gest)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-senate-ballot-paper-had-78-candidates/268344/18 "2004-10-10T03:05:11Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > Like the Greens. [This](http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,10631241%255E25717,00.html) is an interesting article. Interesting? All I see is an Andrew Bolt diatribe. Pick out and quote, verbatim, five assertions with any merit. ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-senate-ballot-paper-had-78-candidates/268344/19 "2004-10-10T05:36:58Z")
Comparing the Greens to Nazis? Insinuating that they endorse baby killing? They probably kick puppies too, right? Andrew Bolt is a fucking disgrace to journalism. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-senate-ballot-paper-had-78-candidates/268344/20 "2004-10-10T05:42:17Z")
In order to understand “above/below the line” you really have to understand the Australian [preferential voting system](http://australianpolitics.com.au/voting/systems/proportional.shtml) (which this page calls “proportional” - but I wouldn’t)