‘You can’t vote’: Confused Australians unable to vote amid COVID chaos

COVID-positive Australians have been left bewildered by confusing voting protocols which have left them unable to vote in the federal election.

Only those who tested positive to COVID-19 after 6pm on Tuesday are eligible for the Australian Electoral Commission’s (AEC) telephone voting option, but postal voting has now closed.

It’s left those who recently tested positive, but did not register for postal voting before 6pm on Tuesday, unable to vote.

Daniel tested positive on Monday and his wife tested positive last night.

He told Neil Mitchell he contacted the AEC seeking advice on how they could vote and was told “Your wife can use the telephone voting system that will be available Saturday because she contracted COVID after 6pm on Tuesday, but you can’t because you contracted it before 6pm”.

“She said ‘You can’t vote because you can’t go into the polling booths’.”

Daniel says when he voiced his concern to the AEC worker he was told it’s “only a $20 fine” if you don’t vote.

Press PLAY below to hear Daniel telling Neil Mitchell about his situation

NSW resident Morgan tested positive to COVID-19 on Sunday. When he tried to register for online voting yesterday he discovered he couldn’t do so because he’d tested positive before 6pm on Tuesday.

“I rang the AEC and spoke to a nice lady there who said ‘Yes we realise this is a problem, there’s a stuff up in the system somewhere. What we’re telling people to do is to contact NSW Health, do another RAT … and restart your quarantining, so start it from now onwards and start a whole new quarantine period and that way you’ll be right’,” he told Neil Mitchell.

The AEC says most people who tested positive before 6pm on Tuesday were contacted by health authorities with instructions to apply for a postal vote.

“We are bound by legislation in this regard, as the amendment to the Electoral Act passed by the Parliament late last year was tailored specifically to this need, and we are unable to expand the service to other people,” an AEC spokesperson said in a statement.

“People who did not apply for a postal vote before the application cut off, haven’t voted yet, tested positive before Tuesday and are in isolation through to after election day they may not be able to vote.”

Press PLAY below to hear what happened when Morgan called the AEC