‘Chaos’ they say on election day

WHERE do you vote on Election Day in Wonthaggi?

If you answered: the Wonthaggi Senior Citizens Club in Murray Street, you’d be wrong.

The Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) is closing the Early Voting Centre at the Senior Citizens Club at 6pm this Friday, November 25 and will open the McKenzie Street Campus of the Bass Coast (Wonthasggi) Secondary College at 8am on election day, Saturday, November 26.

It’s not an issue of the senior cits’ centre not being available. The VEC have it booked all weekend.

And they’re not doing it for us, the voters of Bass.

They’re doing it so they can spread out all the pre-poll votes, of which there could be several thousand, ready to starting pre-poll votes from as early as 8am on election day.

There’s simply no room for the voters in that scenario.

The Bass District is expected to be one of those electorates upon which the outcome of the whole State Election could hinge, and the VEC wants to be on top of the count so that the result here can contribute to an early indication of the overall result.

But it’s not going to help the hundreds of people who make the mistake of turning up at the Wonthaggi Senior Citizens Centre on Election Day, Saturday, November 26.

“No one knows why they’ve decided to have the voting up here,” said nearby local resident Glen Richards.

“A lot of people don’t even know there’s a secondary college up at the end of McKenzie Street,” said Mr Richards.

“And that’s another problem. There’s only one way in and one way out. It’s going to be chaos up there at certain times during the day.”

It helps that more than half the people have already voted early.

Voting places on election day in and around Wonthaggi include:
* Bass Coast College, McKenzie Campus, 2 McKenzie Street, Wonthaggi.
* Wonthaggi North Primary School, 55 White Road, Wonthaggi.
* Dalyston Hall, Corner Tulloch Street and Bass Highway, (access via Tulloch Street), Dalyston.
* Cape Paterson Community Hall, 567 Cape Paterson Road, Cape Paterson.
* Kilcunda Community Centre, 3513–3515 Bass Highway, Kilcunda
* Inverloch Community Hub, 16 A'Beckett Street, Inverloch
* Kongwak Primary School, 1445 Korumburra–Wonthaggi Road, Kongwak.

Early Voting Centre locations

Gippsland South District - Leongatha, 28 McCartin Street.

Bass District – Wonthaggi Senior Citizens Club, 46–50 Murray Street

Bass District - Cowes EVC, 44-46 Thompson Avenue

Bass District – Cranbourne, 255 South Gippsland Highway.