If you didn't vote in the March 2020 council elections due to COVID concerns, the Electoral Commission of Queensland will let you off - unless you are a repeat offender.
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However you won't be able to use the pandemic as an excuse for not voting in October's Queensland state election.
The ECQ said it was making a "tailored response to non-voters" due to the extraordinary circumstances of the election in which 320,000 Queenslanders failed to register a vote.
Some of 270,000 of them were first time non voters and they will not be fined nor will they receive a warning.
However the other 50,000 who have past form in non voting can expect some sort of warning with some who have missed voting many times over likely to be fined.
Electoral Commissioner Pat Vidgen said that in the coming weeks around 30,000 electors will receive a warning letter because they have missed voting in more than one election including March, and have not provided an excuse or responded to the ECQ.
"The approximately 20,000 electors who are repeat non-voters across multiple elections and have made no effort to engage with the ECQ, will be sent an 'apparent failure to vote' notice and be invited to explain their reason for not voting," Mr Vidgen said.
"If they are unable to provide a valid reason, or do not engage with the ECQ, they will receive a fine."
Mr Vidgen said the elections were delivered under challenging circumstances with the COVID-19 pandemic intensifying during the election period.
"The ECQ recognises that many electors who wanted to vote in the local government elections or by-elections, may not have voted due to a heightened anxiety about COVID-19," he said.
"While voting is compulsory, we understand the extraordinary circumstances around the March elections and have tailored our response to non-voters accordingly.
"However, we remind electors that voting is compulsory and, with expanded voting options for the October State general election, concerns over COVID-19 won't be considered a valid reason for not voting.
Mr Vidgen said preparations are well advanced to deliver a COVID-safe State general election in October with the ECQ issuing a Statement of Intent outlining the election's delivery principles.
"The ECQ is using all the lessons from March to ensure a safe and fair general election in October," he said.
"This means voters will be provided with every opportunity to vote while accommodating health requirements.
"We urge electors to plan for the election, to choose whether they'll postal vote, vote early or on election day, and be clear about their choice of candidate and their order of preferences."
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Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
