Revealed: The one type of 'donkey vote' that WILL count in the election – and why it's good news for candidates at the top of the ballot paper
- The donkey vote will count if volunteers find a legible attempt to cast a vote
- Writing preferences in order they appear on the ballot will not invalidate the vote
- The Australian Electoral Commission still counts this process as a 'formal'
Voters hoping to protest against the major parties by leaving a 'donkey vote' on ballot papers during the election have been warned some votes may still count.
The donkey vote will count if volunteers find a legible attempt to cast a vote or order preferences.
Some voters think by writing their preferences in the order they appear on the ballot they invalidate their vote.
But the Australian Electoral Commission still counts this process as a 'formal' attempt at voting, meaning the ballot will not be discarded and each preference will count.
Some voters think by writing their preferences in the order they appear on the ballot they invalidate their vote
Politicians argue by counting this method of donkey voting, those parties and persons listed at the top are being given an unfair advantage.
The AEC said for a vote to count it must be considered 'formal'.
Scribbling all over the ballot, not writing anything at all or writing obscenities are all considered an 'informal vote' and will not be counted toward polling.
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten are going head to head on Saturday.
Bill Shorten will make the case for a 'vote for change' in his final major address of the election campaign.
Mr Shorten will argue a new generation, in a new decade has a new decision and 'the door stands ajar'.
Voters hoping to protest against the major parties by leaving a 'donkey vote' on ballot papers during the election have been warned some votes may still count
Climate change will be a major feature of the speech.
Mr Shorten will also warn of the risks posed by a coalition of chaos, a Morrison-Palmer-Hanson minority government.
He will urge Australians to vote for a united and stable alternative with a vision for the future.
Mr Morrison is expected to focus his pitch on the coalition's central theme of economic growth.
'My message is this: now is not the time to turn back,' he is expected to say.
'Now is the time to get on and keep on with the work of building our economy by backing in the choices Australians are wanting to make every day and to enable them to plan for their future with confidence.'
The prime minister will also take aim at Labor's alternative 'big taxing, big spending' agenda.
Scribbling all over the ballot, not writing anything at all or writing obscenities are all considered an 'informal vote' and will not be counted toward polling
