Does a “Vote of No Confidence” (VONC) work?
Does a “Vote of No Confidence” (VONC) work where an elector crosses out every candidate on the ballot paper, and then writes “no suitable candidate to follow my will”?
No! Voting VONC is informal and won’t be counted.
The claim that voting VONC would “sack the parliament” is completely unfound. There is no provision, no law, and no instruction that backs this claim up whatsoever.
It serves to only strip minor parties from votes, because those who would consider voting VONC are not Labor/Liberal voters in the first place, effectively helping the major parties win.
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) have written a response to such a question:
The AEC can confirm this information is incorrect. A vote like this (i.e. where a line is drawn through each candidate’s name and ‘no suitable candidate to meet my will’ written on the ballot paper) is an informal vote and therefore not included in the count. (1 of 4)
Furthermore, the information about no confidence in any candidate resulting in a new election has no basis in law either under the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 or the Constitution. (2 of 4)
Even if 51 per cent of the population vote this way (which is highly unlikely), it is irrelevant. (3 of 4)
These votes will be informal and not included in the count. They cannot lead to the sacking of the parliament. (4 of 4)
Furthermore, in May of 2019, a request was made to the AEC under the Freedom of Information Act 1982, for documents relating to comments on a “Vote of No Confidence”. The lawyer for the AEC stated that no such documents existed, and therefore denied the request.
A vote for a minor party goes against the major parties, diluting their votes. Minor parties need your vote, so please don’t waste it.
