Liz Spicer, Darren Worland and John Martin were handing out how-to-vote cards at one of Kyabram's polling centres.
Photo by
Jemma Jones
Election day, on Saturday, May 3, saw the country go to the polls and deliver a Labor landslide. However, here in Nicholls it was a day like any other.
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In Nicholls, Nationals candidate Sam Birrell was returned for a second term with 65.5 per cent of the two-candidate preferred vote.
But what did the day look like around the region?
Mother and daughter Robina and Laura Graetz headed to the polls together. It was Laura's first time voting.
Photo by
Jemma Jones
At the Kyabram Youth Club polling centre, Laura Graetz was one of the 1.5 million first-time voters who headed to the polls.
She was surprised by the size of the Senate voting paper but found the process less stressful than anticipated.
“I really thought it was going to be, like, a lot more hectic, a lot more intense,” she said.
Ms Graetz said she had informed her vote by talking to the people around her, like her family and friends who had voted before.
“It's more just hearing what other people are talking about, forming my vote based on that,” she said.
Grantley West and Nevillie Cowie on barbecue duty.
Photo by
Jemma Jones
Democracy sausages were scarce on election day, with only Lancaster, Kyvalley and Stanhope voting centres offering these popular treats to local voters.
Grantley West and Neville Cowie from the Stanhope Men’s Shed were working the grill at the Stanhope Community Hall.
They said they had sold close to 150 sausages by 2pm but expressed concerns about the future of the democracy sausage on election days.
Mr Cowie noted that many people opted for early voting this year. He speculated that without this option, the polling booth would have been much busier on election day.
For Liz Spicer, her day was spent handing out how-to-vote cards out at the Kyabram Youth Club while her husband, State Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh, helped out his Nationals colleague in the battleground of the Bendigo.
She said one of the things she considered when she was voting was about who would best represent the area.
“I wanted someone that locally represents me, not just people that turn up on the day,” she said.
“I wasn’t thinking about Dutton or Melbourne, I was thinking I want to vote for someone like Sam (Birrell) because he’s in my local area, and they’re the ones I’m dealing with.”
In Girgarre, Tongala and Stanhope, polling stations quietened after the morning rush.
Chris Smith and Joan Dickman were booth attendants at Girgarre's polling centre.
Photo by
Jemma Jones
Booth attendants speculated that many residents had voted early, freeing up time for local activities like watching football or tending to farm duties.
To read all about what election day around Nicholls looked like, head to the Free Press website and read the blog that was live throughout the day.
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