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Monday, April 14, 2025
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INDI CANDIDATES GIVEN ORDER MEMBER of the audience Amelia turns the barrel ahead of the ballot draw. Any attendee at the draw was invited to have a go. Incumbent Helen Haines’ assigned number ‘7’ was drawn out first by a blindfolded AEC employee. PHOTO: Steve Kelly
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Incumbent Haines drawn number one on Indi ballot INDEPENDENT incumbent federal MP Helen Haines has taken out the much sought after number one spot on the Indi electorate ballot paper following a bingo style barrel draw on Friday. Staged at The Centre on Wangaratta’s Chisholm Street, about 30 people showed up, with many wearing orange, to witness the official draw. A number was drawn by a blindfolded AEC employee and allocated to each of the nine candidates appearing on a list in order of their nomination. Under the Act the blindfolded person to draw out the balls has to be an employee of the Commonwealth, or a state, or an authority of the Commonwealth or a state.
down and seeing how democracy operates. “It is literally the luck of the draw skelly@ of where you go on the ballot paper, nemedia.com.au so number one, I wouldn’t have any complaints about that,” she Then the balls were returned quipped. to the barrel and the first number “The independent movement in drawn was lucky number 7 which Indi has been run on volunteers and was previously assigned to Helen there were lots of them turning up Haines (Ind). today. The rest of the ballot order was: “It was terrific to meet the other 2. Mitch Bridges (Labor), 3. James candidates in this important race Trenery (Liberal), 4. Athol Thomas and their families and friends who (One Nation), 5. Alysia Regan (The Greens), 6. Tim Quilty (Libertarian), were supporting them. “We’ve got some important 7. Michael White (Family First), 8. candidate forums coming up Ben Howman (Legalise Cannabis), which is a real opportunity to have 9. Mark McFarlane (Independent). Dr Haines said after the draw that questions and answers with the she was very grateful to the AEC and general public. “Then pre-poll starts and a lot of the work they do to make it a public people in Indi do their voting in the event with lots of people coming BY STEVE KELLY
EASTER FESTIVAL
two weeks leading up to election day.” Liberal candidate James Trenery attended the draw and said he was happy with number three, but noted there will be a percentage of people who vote from 1 to 9 down the ballot, but others who vote from 9 to 1. “The latter is something I might be promoting,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s going to come down to a lot more than the ballot draw and there are quite a few issues starting to rear their head now, which is good.” The only other candidate to attend the draw was Independent Mark McFarlane, who nominated first, however was assigned number nine on the ballot. ■ Continued page 3
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