❓ Hon Neil Thomson questions the WAEC on strategies to increase voter registration from 95% to the target of 97%, inquiring about actions, costs, reasons for decline, and evidence for achieving the target. The WAEC outlines ongoing engagement, legislative changes, and behaviour change strategies.
AnsweredQoN 2084Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the 2024-25 Budget Paper No 2 Volume 1, page 91, 'Outcome and Key Effectiveness Indicators', and the languishing percentage of eligible Western Australian electors (at approximately 95%), and the Western Australian Electoral Commission (WAEC) target of 97% this financial year, and I ask: (a) what additional or extraordinary actions is the WAEC envisaging, or undertaking, in 2024-2025 to improve the 95% achieved to date; (b) what is the expected cost of this campaign to reverse the current downward trend; (c) has the WAEC identified the primary issue for the decline in voter registration; (d) in reference to (c), is the primary issue resourcing or educational in terms of the public response; and (e) what evidence is used to demonstrate that the planned actions/expenditure will deliver the 2% target required in 2024-25?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
17 September 2024
Responded by
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Electoral Affairs
Response time
9 days
(a) The Western Australian Electoral Commission (the Commission) undertakes ongoing community education and engagement to increase awareness and understanding of the electoral process, and promote enrolment and electoral participation. Engagement activity is focused on community cohorts identified by the Commission as being historically under-represented in electoral participation. These include young people, Aboriginal Western Australians and culturally and linguistically diverse Western Australians. The Commission’s planned State election community advertising campaign will target these priority cohorts and the wider Western Australian community.
(b) Recent legislative changes, such as the provision allowing people to enrol to vote at a polling place and cast a declaration vote, provide an avenue for increasing enrolment and participation at Western Australian State elections. New provisions allowing 16 and 17 year olds to enrol to vote can support a culture of increased electoral engagement, encouraging electoral participation when people turn 18.
(c) The Commission is unable to provide specific costings for activity relating to community engagement, education and legislative implementation.
(d) There is no single cause for the decline in electoral participation, rather a wide range of factors contribute to voting patterns. These include later transition to adult milestones and direct enrolment.
(e) The Commission remains focused on ongoing community education and engagement to increase awareness and understanding of the electoral process, and promote enrolment and electoral participation.
(f) Learnings from other electoral jurisdictions and other sectors demonstrates the most effective behaviour change strategies are those that work to reduce barriers to enrolment and voting, increase knowledge and trust in the electoral process and create or reinforce a social norm around voting.
(b) Recent legislative changes, such as the provision allowing people to enrol to vote at a polling place and cast a declaration vote, provide an avenue for increasing enrolment and participation at Western Australian State elections. New provisions allowing 16 and 17 year olds to enrol to vote can support a culture of increased electoral engagement, encouraging electoral participation when people turn 18.
(c) The Commission is unable to provide specific costings for activity relating to community engagement, education and legislative implementation.
(d) There is no single cause for the decline in electoral participation, rather a wide range of factors contribute to voting patterns. These include later transition to adult milestones and direct enrolment.
(e) The Commission remains focused on ongoing community education and engagement to increase awareness and understanding of the electoral process, and promote enrolment and electoral participation.
(f) Learnings from other electoral jurisdictions and other sectors demonstrates the most effective behaviour change strategies are those that work to reduce barriers to enrolment and voting, increase knowledge and trust in the electoral process and create or reinforce a social norm around voting.
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