Informal votes are deciding nothing — and could change everything

For those of you who think your vote doesn’t matter. Go have a look at the seats that are “in doubt.”

Archie Milligan
May 08, 2025

There are some seats where the number of informal votes well and truly overtake the difference between the two front runners.

📉 Some seats are that close

Votes are still being counted in several key seats from the recent election — and the margins are razor-thin:

Bean (ACT): just 19 votes separate the frontrunners
Kooyong (VIC): 723-vote margin
Bradfield (NSW): only 215 votes apart

These aren’t isolated cases. And what’s making a difference? Not just who people voted for — but how.

🚫 What is an informal vote?

This year, there were thousands of informal votes. Informal votes don’t get counted toward any candidate and effectively represent a “what could’ve been” for each individual potential vote. They happen when:

The ballot is left blank
Ticks or crosses are used instead of numbers
Not enough boxes are filled in
There’s writing that identifies the voter

Basically, anything that breaks the rules can void your vote — even if you intended to vote.

Largest vote in history – but did the Greens screw up?

What exactly happened to the Greens this election — and did they actually screw things up?

📊 The numbers are wild

The number of informal votes in these close seats is huge compared to the actual margins:

Bean: 2,400 informal votes — with just 15 votes separating candidates

In Bean, there are 160 times more informal votes than the difference between the top two candidates.

Bradfield: 5,000 informal — 215-vote margin

That’s 26 times more informal votes than the difference between the top two candidates.

Kooyong: 1,900 informal — 700-vote margin

🤦Reaction

Former Deputy Prime Minister Micheal McCormack has told the ABC he thought casting an informal vote was “shameful”.

🗣️ "Anybody who wastes their vote needs to take a good, long, hard look at themselves."

What do you get for $60M? 2% of the vote and some weird ads

Clive Palmer has bowed out of politics after a campaign that can only be described as a dud

💡 The bottom line

No, not every informal vote would go to the same candidate. But the data makes one thing clear:

Yes, your vote matters.

And in close elections, it matters even more.

🧠 One last thing

So next time someone says voting is pointless or doesn’t change anything, show them this.

Because even drawing a dick on a ballot is a choice — and in these races, choosing to do it might just cancel out your actual power. As impressive as your drawing might be.