GREATER Bunbury residents could be returning to the polls just two months after the federal election with irregularities in the West Australian senate vote.
Australian Greens candidate Scott Ludlam and Australian Sports Party candidate Wayne Dropulich were announced on Monday morning as senators following a recount of over 1.25 million votes.
Senators Ludlam and Dropulich had previously contested the result of the election where Labor candidate Louise Pratt and Palmer United candidate Zhenya Wang were announced successful amid confusion over the distribution of preferences.
The result is likely to be challenged in the Court of Disputed Returns which could send voters in Western Australia back to the polls.
It has also been revealed that 1375 votes have gone missing during the recount which were present in the original count.
It is believed that some of the missing ballot papers are from the Bunbury East booth in Forrest.
Electoral commissioner Ed Killesteyn told ABC radio he did not hold out hope of finding the missing ballots.
“We're left with a nagging and almost irreconcilable doubt about the outcome of the WA election,” he said.
Former Australian Federal Police commission Mick Keelty has been appointed to conduct an independent review of the missing vote situation.
If Western Australia is sent to back to the polls the earliest the election could be held is February.
