Voting will be revolutionised at the next state election under electoral reforms recently introduced in Parliament.
Queensland’s electoral system will be modernised and simplified but also better protected, with proof of identity to be required on polling days to prevent voter impersonation.
Electronic voting will be made available for people with disabilities and blind or vision impaired voters will be able to phone in their vote via an electronic assisted voting (EAV) system.
All restrictions will be removed for eligibility for postal or pre-poll votes to make it as easy as possible for everyone to participate in democracy.
Various forms of ID will be accepted including:
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Current driver licence
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Current Australian passport
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Voter identification letter issued by the ECQ
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Recent account or notice issued by a public utility
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Identification card issued by the Commonwealth or a State as evidence of the person’s entitlement to a financial benefit (e.g. a Commonwealth seniors health card, Medicare card, pensioner concession card)
Voters who do not provide ID when attending a polling booth will be required to make a declaration vote, similar to people who vote outside of their electorate on polling day.
Other reforms include:
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Removal of caps on political donations and expenditure
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Simplified public funding model for political parties
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Increased threshold for public funding from 4 per cent to 10 per cent
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Bringing donation disclosure regulations in line with Federal rules
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How-To-Vote cards to be published on the Electoral Commission Queensland (ECQ) website
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Enabling ECQ to reject a How-To-Vote card if it is deemed misleading
These reforms will ensure Queensland has an electoral system that meets high standards of integrity and accountability and promotes participation in our democracy through political representation and voting.
