I voted at lunchtime. I got in the car, drove to Collingwood (Should have walked, it's a lovely day out there), thankfully found a park easily and went to the early voting station.
As I'm going in for surgery tomorrow, I thought it best to vote now, in case I get to the 21st of May and find I'm not up for standing in a queue. This is very unlikely, but at least it's out of the way. Also, I've had my mind made up as to whom I've voting for for months, so why wait?
Thankfully, the pollsters weren't too grabby at the Collingwood Early Voting centre. I founds the Greens lady, picked up their serving suggestions and went in.
My name was marked off the list. I was asked if I am eligible to vote early. That was it.
They handed me my ballot papers. A small green slip for the House of Representatives. A meter long paper for the Senate.
After looking at the Greens serving suggestions (aka How to vote bumph) I filled out the lower house ballot paper. I was interested as to where the Greens were placing the LNP, the United Australia Party and Pauline Hanson's mob of bigots. In a field of ten candidates they were placed eighth, ninth and tenth. Good enough for me.
The Senate ballot was a little trickier. Thankfully, if you vote under the line now, you only have to mark a minimum of 12 candidates. But it's a pain in the arse - a meter long ballot paper and the candidates you want to vote for are spread all over the place. It's bloody awkward. As I am a contrary woman who likes going against the grain, my Senate votes were divided between the Greens, Labor and the Reason Party. I've never voted above the line in the Senate. I like knowing where my votes go. I prefer the transparency.
It was all over in under five minutes.
Ballot papers were popped into the appropriate boxes, I returned the serving suggestion paper back to the Greens lady and went back to the car, having a chat with the fellow from the Victorian Socialists on the way back. I'll have a chat with most people, and he was nice. We both were bemused by Monique Ryan and Josh Frydenberg's representatives at the booth. They're slugging it out in the next electorate - a far more contentious and ugly race that our quiet, peaceful Greens seat which has barely had a cent spend on election advertising. You can barely find an Adam Bandt poster around the streets. Kew, Hawthorn and Camberwell are littered with defaced election material on both sides.
Then I drove home.
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