Election officials in South Australia have discovered 81 overlooked ballot papers, casting uncertainty over One Nation candidate Chantelle Thomas’s razor-thin victory in the Narungga seat.
Initial Win and New Discovery
Chantelle Thomas secured the seat on April 2, defeating Liberal rival Tania Stock by a mere 58 votes after an initial recount. The margin now appears overshadowed by the newly found votes, prompting the Electoral Commission of South Australia to order another full recount scheduled for Friday.
The uncounted ballots consist of 77 unopened absent ordinary votes and four declaration ballots mistakenly returned with votes inside. Authorities located them in three sealed boxes connected to Narungga and the neighboring Stuart electorate.
Official Response and Next Steps
Acting Electoral Commissioner Leah McLay announced the immediate action, confirming that all candidates received notification to ensure the election’s integrity.
McLay emphasized that the recount aims to verify if including these ballots would alter the outcome. “The purpose of the count is for the commission to determine whether the result would have differed had those ballots been included in the initial count and subsequent recount,” she stated.
She added that One Nation remains the declared winner for now, but a shift favoring the Liberals would require Crown advice and potentially a disputed return in the courts.
