As the next Victorian state election draws closer, a flurry of new political parties is reportedly leveraging the state's unique group voting ticket system to manipulate voter preferences. This controversial practice, widely criticized for diminishing democratic power, is now on the verge of abolition, potentially aligning Victoria with national electoral standards.

Victoria currently operates with an electoral mechanism, largely abolished in other Australian states, that allows voters to select a single party 'above the line' on their upper house ballot paper. In doing so, voters implicitly hand over the power to allocate all subsequent preferences to that chosen party. This system, originally designed to simplify complex ballot papers, has increasingly become a target for exploitation by micro-parties seeking to 'harvest' votes.

The Preference Playbook Unveiled

Many of the newly registered parties are not campaigning to genuinely win seats outright but rather to exploit this antiquated system. Their strategy involves attracting a small percentage of primary votes and then directing these preferences to larger, aligned parties through carefully constructed deals.

Among the recent applications being processed by Victoria's electoral commission is the 'Climate Action Now' party, founded by Monica Smit of the anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown group Reignite Democracy Australia. Smit has openly admitted to employing a tactic designed to create "minor parties with catchy names so that uneducated voters see a name they like and put a one next to it, and they have no idea that this is actually just harvesting votes for someone else." Her intention is reportedly to funnel above-the-line votes to parties such as One Nation and Family First, should her party not secure enough primary votes to win a seat. Her brother, Daniel Smit, leads the 'I'm Voting To Avoid The Fine' party, which also plans to direct preferences to similar conservative parties.

Another striking example involves two separate parties, both named 'Free Palestine,' vying for registration. One of these was established by pro-Israel influencer Avi Yemini, who has been equally candid about his intention to attract votes from what he terms "useful idiots" and direct their preferences to One Nation, claiming the aim is to "flow our preferences on to parties that want to free Palestine — from Hamas."

Other curious registrations include the Fusion Party, the Republican Make Australia Great Again party, and several existing parties seeking to change their ballot paper names. The Freedom Party, for instance, now wishes to be known as 'Safety Victoria — Violent Crime Prevention,' while the New Democrats are rebranding as 'Put Australia First, Save the Environment.' The party 'End Mass Immigration — Reform AU,' previously the Companion and Pets Party, now seeks to be displayed as the Christian Alliance Party.

Government Plans to Abolish Group Voting Tickets

Amidst growing scrutiny and public reports, it appears the Allan government is poised to abolish group voting tickets. While specific details of the proposed replacement system remain undisclosed, and a bill has yet to be formally introduced, the move would bring Victoria in line with federal electoral law, where the system was abolished before the 2016 election, and with other states.

The timing of such a reform, potentially introduced late in the legislative cycle, poses challenges. It could minimize political fallout from crossbench members whose re-election prospects might be diminished under a new system, but it also leaves little time for the electoral commission to implement significant changes. Calls from some parliamentarians, such as Animal Justice MLC Georgie Purcell, suggest that while abolishing group voting tickets is crucial, it should be paired with broader reforms like scrapping the eight upper house regions in favour of a single statewide electorate, though this is not feasible for the upcoming election.

A History of Manipulation and the Call for Voter Empowerment

The practice of preference harvesting was famously pioneered by the individual dubbed 'the preference whisperer,' who orchestrated pacts between numerous micro-parties to pool votes and secure unexpected victories. A notable instance occurred in 2018 when Rod Barton was elected to Victoria's upper house with the Transport Matters party, despite securing a mere 0.6 percent of the primary vote. His path to parliament relied on preferences from a diverse array of parties, including those with vastly different ideologies.

Critics argue that such outcomes fundamentally distort the will of the voters, allowing candidates with minimal direct support to gain seats through complex preference deals rather than genuine public mandate. The core criticism of group voting tickets is that they encourage opaque political maneuvering and games designed to deceive voters, effectively removing democratic power from individual choice.

A Victorian government spokesperson has indicated that the recommendations from the Electoral Matters Committee on Group Voting Tickets are under consideration, with a response to be issued in due course. The impending changes underscore a critical moment for electoral integrity in Victoria, with advocates pushing for a system that genuinely reflects the preferences of the electorate.