Non-voter letters an error

Voters in Hedland have been left scratching their heads after an error meant they were sent letters telling them they hadn’t headed to the polls, despite their clear recollection of doing so.

According to the Western Australian Electoral Commission, some voters were sent letters advising them of a failure to vote in error after a problem with the roll-scanning process for one printed roll used at Baler Primary School.

“It was not scanned correctly by the contracted service provider,” a spokesman said.

South Hedland resident Michael Page was one of those to receive a notice.

“Voting is still done with pencils and not electronically, so I suppose what worries me most about the situation is if I have to prove I voted, I wouldn’t know how,” he said.

“They send this letter saying I hadn’t voted, there’s no electronic way or accountability to prove anything. In this day and age, I think the process could be a lot more accountable.”

In an effort to see what had happened, Mr Page took to social media to see if anyone else had been sent a letter.

With more than 100 responses on his Facebook post, concerns ranged from how people could prove they voted to whether their votes had been counted. But the electoral commission said all the votes were admitted to the count and the organisation would be writing to those affected to let them know they may disregard the notice.

“The commission certainly apologises for any confusion or in-convenience,” a spokesman said.

“The electors concerned should receive correspondence from the commission in the near future.”