URGENT NOTICE TO ALL SOUTH AUSTRALIANS
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN MARCH 2014 ELECTION “FAILING ALREADY?”
The very fact the electoral commission themselves do not appear to know what new laws are in place, whether or not any new electoral laws are assented to, or even what the costs for candidates will be, the looming state election in March 2014 appears from the onset to be a failure.
The government and the opposition recently passed new electoral laws in a deliberate attempt to take control of the upper house, to ensure minor parties and Independents will not be able to run or compete at any level.
The changes include;
- A huge increase in the amount of nominations required up from 2 to 250.
- To exclude Independents from being able to preference
- A massive increase in costs up from $450 to $3000
- Other changes to empower the 2 party system at the expense of the free and informed vote of the electorate.
Questions to the electoral commission; Are these new laws legal, have they been assented to, when will they be in place, when we there be access to the nomination forms, are all remaining unanswered, only weeks out from when nominations must be lodged.
So let’s look at what I have to do to nominate;
To have my name on the ballot paper, with the right to be involved in the preference deals, I will need to run with a friend, 2 candidates will be needed.
The nominations needed (signatures with names addresses and dates of birth) will be a minimum of 500, yet I can’t start getting nominations until forms are made available, what if I only get 24 hours?
It is known that the electoral rolls are faulty, missing around 100,000 names, so I will need to get around 750 nominations to ensure I comply, but it gets worse, as each elector can only nominate one candidate.
So if an elector signs my nomination form, but has signed another’s as well, because all the minor candidates will need hundreds, both will seemingly be invalid, so how many will a candidate have to get?
Two candidates running together will need to raise $6,000 in the next few weeks, a massive imposition, when it is already near impossible to compete with the huge funding of the major parties, these changes are to wipe out the minor player ability’s to field candidate and produce electoral materials.
The other nasty change hiding in the new legislation is that Independents are no longer allowed in the primary ballot draw, so the ballot papers are now designed to promote the major parties, this does not support the concept of a fair go.
While these issues are indeed massive in their own right, one must question how the electoral commission can police the new rules, because with thousands of nominations to go through, where will they find the time, let alone ensure just accounting?
All of this because the government elected want to own the upper house, the house of review, they don’t want pesky Independent thinkers either questioning or exposing their legislative agenda, leaks to me expose the government are intent on undermining our civil and human rights, by the introduction of draconian laws akin to those coming out of QLD.
Now all of this may just piss everyone off, but they are the least of our problems, because the whole electoral conduct will in the most be totally dodgy.
The 2010 state election was found to be dodgy and to be honest totally invalid at law, yet no changes have been made to ensure all the dodgy practices exposed in 2010 do not happen in March.
Over 16,000 ballot papers simply went missing, thousands of postal ballot applications were found to be dodgy around 77,000 names were missing from the electoral rolls and the major parties handled tens of thousands of postal ballot applications, will this all happen again, or even get worse?
The Labor party were caught dressing up as another party and handing our dodgy how to vote cards, they were caught intercepting electoral mail and also ballot paper applications.
Polling booths were absent of important information and ran out of ballot papers, in fact the complaints were massive and so where the allegations of corruption.
I risked my own home to take these issues to the court of disputed returns, fighting for “Your right” to a just election process, only to find out that general elections cannot be invalidated at law, regardless of the count or the conduct, which is absolutely appalling.
The only way to overcome all these issues is to elect genuine representatives of the people, who will fight for democratic reforms, but these changes and dodgy practices are all about ensuring that does not happen.
The results of these electoral changes are to further empower the major parties, which will only result in increased attacks on our civil liberties and our once fine system of democracy.
I for one need your help and support, I have never asked for money in my 15 years fighting for your rights, but without your help, I will be out of the race, as will many other patriotic candidates.
Please consider my hard work over the past years in fighting for your rights, with a small donation to allow me to run as a candidate, even if I am not your preferred choice, because having a choice is an important part of democracy.
Commonwealth Bank Salisbury, Mark M Aldridge BSB; 065122 Account number; 10326657, please mark donations as “Political donations” in case I am unable to raise sufficient funds, because if that is the case, all moneys will be refunded.
In the best interests of democracy, please share this post, text or link with every South Australian, and consider visiting my website www.markmaldridge.com and continue reading up on the governments attack on democracy.
Mark Aldridge
Independent candidate and National spokesperson for the Australian Alliance.
08 82847482 / 0403379500
Tags: 2014 election, 2014 State election, Australian Politics, Australian rights, Bill of rights, Democracy, democracy Australia, Dodgy elections, Elections Australia, electoral commission, electoral rolls, How to vote in Australia, how to vote in SA, Independents, Labor party SA, Mark Aldridge, Mark M Aldridge Independent, New electoral laws, nominations, SA 2014 election ECSA, The Australian Alliance, voting in SA
Mark M Aldridge Blog 
February 28, 2014 at 7:41 am |
Two parties do not bother to talk to us voters. They do not need. We are too stupid to understand them or to suggest them anything at all. They all know what is best for us. For us is only left to go and confirm what was already predetermined. One or the other side of the evil.
Thanks Mark for taking time and effort to explain to us, in plain words how the two parties manipulate us and even electoral office.
Mark perhaps it would be a good idea if you explain briefly your stand, the fairness. To explain why your fairness is different from similar words of any candidate of the two parties.
Their words are absolutely meaningless and they never keep their words.
I’ve tried and tried, and tried to contact the candidates from my district, and none is available to talk in person, to talk by phone, to reply to my emails I’ve sent them.
You in contrast, was available and answered by phone all my questions about what you stand for.
There is a reason why we have so many small parties and independents. Many are good but not all in my judgment. Anyway, the very reason why we have emergence of so many small parties and independents is because people are fed up with the two parties.
To make it worse, the last minute attempt to marginalize the independents by two parties does confirm their ill intent against society. They do not want competition. They are losers. The two parties have nothing real to offer to society. They only exploit society.
We need small parties and independents who will actually represent us and our values and be accountable before us.
Thanks Mark for your explanation of the election failure. It is not fair election.
I’ve observed that electoral commission was doing one thing only since election was called ; you must vote or else…
Only now candidates were revealed.
This tells me that election outcome may have been already determined and we must come only to confirm what was already established.