Donkey Vote Effect in Federal Election ?
Voting is compulsory resulting in ballot papers filled in properly, or informal if left blank with or without graffiti, or due to missed or duplicated preferences
A “Donkey Vote” is a valid vote where the voter simply starts with a 1 next to the top listed candidate and proceeds down the ballot paper numbering to the end.
I found the taxpayer owned Australian Broadcasting Corporation Triple J website1 using this illustration in 2016.
Having been a scrutineer at numerous elections, I confirm this is typical.
The caption reads:
Educate yo'self.
If you leave the ballot paper blank, or fill it out incorrectly, or draw a dick and balls on the page instead of numbering the boxes, then that's an informal vote. It doesn't count.
If you number each box in the order that the candidates appear, that's a donkey vote - and it definitely counts in the overall tally.
Looking at the House of Representative seats by state, I mark those seats with # where a Donkey Vote gives the incumbent candidate a slight advantage against their nearest rival.
The list of seats is taken from the ABC website.2
As noted there, contests marked “v IND” depart from the “Two Party Preferred” Labor versus LibNats because there was a large crossbench elected in 2022 including Greens.
New South Wales
Seat, Party currently holding and Margin
Banks LIB 2.6
Barton ALP 12.0 #
Bennelong LIB 0.04 #
Berowra LIB 7.6
Blaxland ALP 13.0
Bradfield LIB 2.5 v IND
Calare NAT 9.7 v IND
Chifley ALP 13.6 #
Cook LIB 11.6 #
Cowper NAT 2.4 v IND #
Cunningham ALP 15.1 #
Dobell ALP 6.6
Eden-Monaro ALP 6.1
Farrer LIB 16.4 #
Fowler IND 1.1 v ALP #
Gilmore ALP 0.2 #
Grayndler ALP 17.3 v GRN
Greenway ALP 7.9
Hughes LIB 3.5
Hume LIB 6.9 #
Hunter ALP 4.8
Kingsford Smith ALP 13.3 #
Lindsay LIB 6.1 #
Lyne NAT 13.8
Macarthur ALP 9.8 #
Mackellar IND 3.3 v LIB
Macquarie ALP 6.3
McMahon ALP 10.5
Mitchell LIB 10.5 #
New England NAT 15.2 #
Newcastle ALP 17.9
Page NAT 10.7
Parkes NAT 18.2
Parramatta ALP 3.7 #
Paterson ALP 2.6 #
Reid ALP 5.2
Richmond ALP 8.2 #
Riverina NAT 9.7
Robertson ALP 2.2
Shortland ALP 6.0 #
Sydney ALP 16.5 v GRN #
Warringah IND 9.4 v LIB #
Watson ALP 15.2 #
Wentworth IND 6.8 v LIB #
Werriwa ALP 5.3 #
Whitlam ALP 8.3
Victoria
Seat, Party currently holding and Margin
Aston ALP 3.6
Ballarat ALP 13.0
Bendigo ALP 11.2 #
Bruce ALP 5.3 #
Calwell ALP 12.4 #
Casey LIB 1.4
Chisholm ALP 3.3
Cooper ALP 7.8 v GRN #
Corangamite ALP 7.8 #
Corio ALP 12.5
Deakin LIB 0.02
Dunkley ALP 6.8
Flinders LIB 6.2 #
Fraser ALP 16.6
Gellibrand ALP 11.2 #
Gippsland NAT 20.6
Goldstein IND 3.3 v LIB #
Gorton ALP 10.0 #
Hawke ALP 7.6 #
Holt ALP 7.1 #
Hotham ALP 11.6 #
Indi IND 8.9 v LIB #
Isaacs ALP 9.5 #
Jagajaga ALP 12.2
Kooyong IND 2.2 v LIB #
La Trobe LIB 8.4
Lalor ALP 12.8 #
Macnamara ALP 12.2 #
Mallee NAT 19.0 #
Maribyrnong ALP 13.0 #
McEwen ALP 3.8
Melbourne GRN 6.5 v ALP
Menzies ALP 0.4
Monash LIB 2.9
Nicholls NAT 15.8
Scullin ALP 15.4
Wannon LIB 3.8 v IND #
Wills ALP 4.6 v GRN #
Queensland
Seat, Party currently holding and Margin
Blair ALP 5.2
Bonner LNP 3.4 #
Bowman LNP 5.5
Brisbane GRN 3.7 v LNP
Capricornia LNP 6.6
Dawson LNP 10.4 #
Dickson LNP 1.7
Fadden LNP 10.6
Fairfax LNP 9.0
Fisher LNP 8.7 #
Flynn LNP 3.8
Forde LNP 4.2 #
Griffith GRN 10.5 v LNP #
Groom LNP 6.9 v IND
Herbert LNP 11.8 #
Hinkler LNP 10.1 #
Kennedy KAP 13.1 v LNP
Leichhardt LNP 3.4
Lilley ALP 10.5 #
Longman LNP 3.1 #
Maranoa NAT 22.1 #
McPherson LNP 9.3 #
Moncrieff LNP 11.2 #
Moreton ALP 9.1 #
Oxley ALP 11.6 #
Petrie LNP 4.4
Rankin ALP 9.1
Ryan GRN 2.6 v LNP #
Wide Bay LNP 11.3
Wright LNP 10.9 #
Western Australia
Seat, Party currently holding and Margin
Brand ALP 17.1 #
Bullwinkel ALP 3.3
Burt ALP 13.3
Canning LIB 1.2 #
Cowan ALP 9.9
Curtin IND 1.3 v LIB
Durack LIB 4.7 #
Forrest LIB 4.2
Fremantle ALP 16.9 #
Hasluck ALP 10.0 #
Moore LIB 0.9 #
O'Connor LIB 6.7 #
Pearce ALP 8.8
Perth ALP 14.4
Swan ALP 9.4 #
Tangney ALP 2.8
South Australia
Seat, Party currently holding and Margin
Adelaide ALP 11.9 #
Barker LIB 16.6 #
Boothby ALP 3.3 #
Grey LIB 10.1
Hindmarsh ALP 8.9
Kingston ALP 16.4 #
Makin ALP 10.8
Mayo CA 12.3 v LIB
Spence ALP 12.9
Sturt LIB 0.5
Tasmania
Seat, Party currently holding and Margin
Bass LIB 1.4
Braddon LIB 8.0
Clark IND 20.8 v ALP
Franklin ALP 13.7
Lyons ALP 0.9
Australian Capital Territory
Seat, Party currently holding and Margin
Bean ALP 12.9
Canberra ALP 12.2 v GRN
Fenner ALP 15.7
Northern Territory
Seat, Party currently holding and Margin
Lingiari ALP 1.7 #
Solomon ALP 8.4
Summary
Labor was slightly luckier with 37 seats gaining from Donkey votes, versus LibNats 30 seats. Greens benefit in 2 seats and Independents in 6 seats.
Early Voting commences tomorrow.
https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/how-to-vote-guide-and-what-a-donkey-vote-really-is/7553578
https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/federal/2025/guide/electorates-by-state