Experts Call for Digital Shift Amid Rising Election Waste

Australia’s biggest election yet: 100k staff, 250k pencils, 80k ballot boxes, 1.4 million plastic security seals.
Experts Call for Digital Shift Amid Rising Election Waste
A voting booth for the Brisbane City Council election in Calamvale in the south of Brisbane, Australia on March 16, 2024. Daniel Teng/The Epoch Times
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Australia’s federal election has generated a record amount of paper, plastic, and cardboard waste, prompting experts to call for a shift to more sustainable—and possibly digital—voting methods.

The Australian Electoral Commission says it prints around 55 million ballot papers, 25,000 copies of the electoral roll, and 12 million household guides. Along with that are 250,000 pencils and 250,000 strings for those pencils.
Rex Widerstrom
Rex Widerstrom
Author
Rex Widerstrom is a New Zealand-based reporter with over 40 years of experience in media, including radio and print. He is currently a presenter for Hutt Radio.