The referendum to entrench the Hare-Clark formally passed early yesterday morning when some additional postal votes put the Yes vote over the necessary 50 per cent of enrolled voters. The Yes vote got a solid 65 per cent majority of the formal vote, but under the Federal ACT Self-Government Act it must get 50 per cent of the enrolled voters. In effect, informals and no-shows are deemed to be No votes. Usually this means between 58 and 60 per cent must vote Yes for a referendum to pass.
There are 195,389 on the roll, and the 97,695th Yes vote was counted early yesterday morning. It means that the voting system cannot be changed without a two-thirds majority of the House of Assembly or a further referendum. In effect it means that the two major parties must agree to significant changes to the system. The referendum also entrenches compulsory voting. The key parts of the system that are entrenched are: Minimum of five members per electorate; Robson rotation; no party voting or above-the line voting; an odd number of seats per electorate; and optional preferential voting. It is the first time that Hare-Clark or compulsory voting have been entrenched in Australia.