The new voting trend which may delay the federal election result
There is a new trend this federal election which could delay the result following the polls closing at 6pm on Saturday.
Pre-polling centres have been open since April 29 and Aussies have launched into the opportunity to cast their vote early.
According to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), almost double the number of people have voted early compared to that of the last federal election in 2016.
So far three million Australians have voted as of Wednesday, with 400,000 alone voting early on Tuesday.
But according to Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers, this could delay the result as it would stretch AEC resources and make counting a more complex exercise come Saturday.
“It’s a huge logistic activity; we’ll be doing our very best, but there may well be some delays on the night,” he told the ABC.
According to the commissioner, most of the pre-poll ballots will be counted when all voting centres close at 6pm on election day.
However the ABC reports some declaration votes will not be counted for days after the election, meaning that could delay results for close seats.
Rise in election postal votes
The AEC has also noticed a rise in the number of people registering for postal votes.
Mr Rogers told the ABC 1.4 million opted for a postal vote, which was also more than the 2016 federal election.
Only those eligible are able to cast their ballot at early voting centres.
According the the AEC website, you can vote early if you’re outside of your electorate or more than 8km from a polling place on election day.
People travelling, working, or who are seriously ill, or in hospital can also vote before Saturday.
A silent elector, somebody fearing for their safety or one with religious beliefs stopping them from attending a polling booth are also eligible to vote early.
To find out where to vote in your electorate visit our state-by-state guide here.
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, download the Yahoo News app from iTunes or Google Play and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoo’s daily newsletter. Sign up here.
