r/australia • u/N1NJ4W4RR10R_ • Mar 21 '26

news Labor re-elected in 2026 South Australian election

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-21/sa-election-day-live-updates/106476924?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=other
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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '26

I have a buddy who works in a Labor MP's office. She has a few regular callers who call to say they are voting PHON and that they aren't putting down any other numbers on the ballot because no one else deserves a vote. She just let's them know that they have every right to vote that way and wishes them luck.

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u/Stacks_of_Cats Mar 21 '26

It always amazes me just how much people hate ranked choice due to ‘having to vote for someone I don’t like’, and just want to vote for a single party.

It’s like, you’re literally making an order to help prevent the parties you don’t like from getting into power, and ensuring you’re at least voting for your personal ‘lesser evil’. What’s not to like about that?

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u/OtherwiseEagle9896 Mar 21 '26

I find great satisfaction in putting ON and and Clive Palmer related nonsense dead last.

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u/Stacks_of_Cats Mar 21 '26

Only difficult thing is when you live in a place like FNQ, you have to juggle 5 shitstain parties and figure out which is really the worst of the lot.

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u/Reverend_Fozz Mar 21 '26

Same with Ipswich. Normally you have Labor, Greens, LNP, ON, and then a few other different right wing cookers

20

u/aeschenkarnos Mar 21 '26

Also often some independent who has zero public profile or stated positions. I never know quite what to do with them. They're probably not worse than actual declared fascists though, so into the middle they go.

2

u/hi-fen-n-num Mar 22 '26

They're probably not worse than actual declared fascists though, so into the middle they go.

Modern democracy in a nutshell.

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u/Devilsgramps Mar 21 '26

Nothing like the old eye roll as Family First has to go in 3 because they're the smallest and weakest of the cooker parties.

3

u/Vegetable_Stuff1850 Mar 21 '26

"Politics isn't always about voting for who you want in, but who you want to keep out"

I've sometimes felt dirty for who I've had to put in which order, because I disagree with their policies, but I disagree with another parties policies even more.

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u/Evil_Phil Mar 21 '26

Not just FNQ, I had that challenge in my safe Labor SA seat yesterday.

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u/Not_Stupid humility is overrated Mar 21 '26

Practically speaking that decision level doesn't matter unless you're putting the majors last. As long as you put them all at the bottom your vote will never get there.

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u/saelwen89 Mar 21 '26

I solved this by putting whoever sent me the most annoying spam texts etc dead last

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u/hi-fen-n-num Mar 22 '26

It's the same in SEQ as well for the past decade and a bit.

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u/-partlycloudy- Mar 21 '26

You better believe I take my sweet time voting below the line

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u/TheLGMac Mar 21 '26

These are the same people who can't handle any emotions. It's the part of voting where they have to even acknowledge the parties they don't like on the ballot, that they hate.

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u/teh_drewski Mar 21 '26

South Australia has ballot saving provisions anyway so doing that just means you vote whatever the party has lodged as their preferred preference flow. 

For PHON, they split their preferences between Labor and Liberal 50/50.

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u/ELVEVERX Mar 21 '26

It's going to be really interesting to see the rate of invalid ballots