Tassie Liberals Reckon The Colour Of Ballot Papers Is Tricking People Into Voting For The Greens
Glad to see they respect the intelligence of the voters.
Tasmanian Liberals want the Australian Electoral Commission to change the colour of the ballot papers used to elect members of the House of Representatives, arguing that their current green hue offers “free subliminal advertising for the Greens inside polling booths.”
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The motion was put forth by members of the party’s George Town East Tamar branch, and will be debated by local and senior Liberal members at a meeting in Launceston this weekend. And good on them, really, looking out for the poor, hapless members of the public. Never mind the idea of respecting the basic intelligence of the voters. We’re an easily confused bunch, and we need our hands held every step of the way.
The un-greening of the ballot will be one of a number of discussion points on the agenda, with other motions calling for the abolition of the Safe Schools Program and the removal of the five cent piece from circulation. Each motion will be voted on, and those that pass will become part of the party’s official policy platform.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull spoke at the meeting earlier today, and told the party faithful that the Liberals “must look within and transform our party” after losing three seats in Tasmania to Labor at this year’s federal election. It is unclear where he stands on the important issue of the colour of the ballot paper. Maybe we should have a plebiscite about it?
The ballot paper is currently green to reflect the colour of the House of Representatives chamber. But assuming for a moment that the motion passes, the question then becomes what colour should the paper be? Blue and red are obviously out, since they connote the LNP and the ALP, respectively. Ditto Orange, since the last thing we want is befuddled constituents accidentally voting for One Nation. Suppose yellow could work, now that Palmer United has imploded. Point is, this is definitely the most important issue facing our country right now. Stay tuned.
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h/t Sky News. Feature image via the Australian Electoral Commission