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Scrutineers in Western Sydney seats have reported finding all sorts of anti-politician messages and pictures on ballot papers as the rate of informal voting topped 14 per cent in some places.
Investigators from the Australian Electoral Commission say they’re close to catching whoever it was who drew a penis on their ballot in the seat of Blaxland.
The offender is believed to be a male in his mid-20s, with a mocking facial expression and wearing an offensive t-shirt.
The crudely-rendered phallus was uncovered around 9.15pm on election night on a House of Representatives ballot paper at Condell Park Public School. A special AEC forensic unit was deployed and removed the ballot paper for handwriting analysis.
Investigators are now reviewing CCTV footage, saying that the penis’s discovery late in the count suggests the ‘vote’ was cast about mid-morning. Although they’re working on several leads, the AEC remains keen to speak with anyone who may have heard childish tittering from the booth next to them.
The AEC is also searching for the man’s Senate ballot paper, which they fear could have been used to draw an even bigger penis.
An AEC spokesman praised Australia’s voters for handling yet another highly complex national election with maturity, telling The Daily Grind that “Unfortunately, one or two bad eggs have spoiled what would otherwise have been a perfectly grown-up election.”
Drawing a penis on your ballot paper carries a maximum penalty of the old woman at the absentee voting desk giving you an unimpressed look.
