Voice rejection leaves NT voters disillusioned

Local elections in the Northern Territory has seen a steady decline in Indigenous engagement with enrolment statistics down again this weekend.

Dani Lindner, a senior lecturer in law at the University of Queensland, told the ABC Aboriginal voters had become disillusioned after the failed Voice referendum.

“Political involvement for Aboriginal peoples is falling,” she told abc.net.au.

“After a surge in registration and turnout at the time of the 2023 referendum on the Voice, low investment in getting Australia’s original population to the polls means that fewer Indigenous people are taking part in this weekend’s local election in the Northern Territory.”

Australian Electoral Commission figures show enrolment is up, but turnout has dropped.

Many believe the enrolment element has become just a box-ticking exercise for government purposes, whereas in reality communities are remote, have little access to vote and for some English is not their first language.

Not voting in elections does carry a $176 fine, but that has done little to reverse the negative trend.

Many of the elections in the Territory are sitting on a knife edge with winners yet ti be decided.

There were 34 elections held, with 19 already completed after being uncontested or declared partially failed by the Northern Territory Electoral Commission.