We’ll bring you updates from the booths throughout the day, the results as they come in and what the election will mean for the Sunshine Coast.
Elsewhere in Buderim, incumbent President Brent Mickelberg has less than 40% of the primary votes according to the latest figures from the Queensland Election Commission, but he is ahead of the unofficial preference tally
At Glass House, incumbent Andrew Powell garnered nearly 39% of the primary vote, with 1,825 votes counted, ahead of Brent Hampstead (2,904%) and Andrew McLean of the Greens (1,559 percent)
Kawana LNP holder Jarrod Bleijie leads with 4464 percent of early preferences after 1,069 votes counted, with Bill Redpath of Labor scooping up 306 percent of the votes counted so far
More than 2,700 votes were counted in Maroochydore and the incumbent Fiona Simpson got 3,917% of them, ahead of Alison Smith of Labor (2,635%) and the young Greens hope Gabrielle Unverzagt, who obtained 1,762% of the votes counted until now
Nicklin MP Marty Hunt holds a slim lead of just two votes preference over Robert Skelton of the Labor Party, with 1,849 votes counted
Ninderry is a tighter race sooner than expected, with LNP holder Dan Purdie leading with 3,908 percent of Melinda Dodds’ primary vote (352%), after 3,710 votes counted, with Greens hopeful Dan Bryar in second best with 129 percent
In the north, Sandy Bolton leads young LNP candidate James Blevin, with 4,326% of the vote against 2,598%, after 3,700 votes counted
In Buderim, LNP candidate Brent Mickelberg leads the charge, with 4,398% of early preferences
He leads Ken Mackenzie of Labor, with 2169%, while Steve Dickson is behind with 843%, after the counting of the first 171 votes
In the unofficial indicative tally, giving an indication of the preference flow, M Mickelberg directs M Mackenzie 5,482 percent to 4,518 percent
Noosa MP Sandy Bolton has landed at Noosa Pirates Rugby League Club with his army of teal volunteers, but they are grappling with a power outage as they try to see the results arrive
Labor hopeful Jason Hunt quickly took the lead in Caloundra, taking 4083% of the first preferences, ahead of LNP candidate Stuart Coward (3073%) after the 1894 first votes were counted
Voting on the Sunshine Coast has entered its final hour as voting booths are expected to close at 6 p.m.
Lunchtime betting firm Sportsbet had a Labor minority government at $ 1.95 – just days after the odds were $ 1773 for a Labor majority, compared to $ 4 for a workshop
Candidates reported a quiet day around the kiosks, with very low voter numbers compared to previous elections, due to a massive pre-pick contingent and higher than usual postal votes
Labor sources said, as expected, the numbers for Nambour Central, Burnside and Nambour West were well down today as many of those voters had pre-polled in town
The kiosks further away from the old mill town still experienced fairly regular flows of voters today
He said locations with early polling centers were down well, but more distant kiosks and places like Mooloolah, between prepolling sites, were « pretty solid » today.
He estimated that there were only 12,000 to 13,000 voters left to vote today and that many were silent on their decision
Voters should at least have an indication of which direction their electorate is heading tonight, with the Queensland Election Commission confirming polling booth votes on election day, as well as returned mail ballots and local pre-sample votes outside to be counted tonight
The efforts, which are expected to last until around 11 p.m., are expected to provide some guidance, albeit unofficially, before the official count starts on Sunday morning.
The first results are expected to drop shortly after 6 p.m., and an ECQ spokeswoman assured that the technical problems which hampered the results of the local elections in March are not expected to recur, with the computer systems operating « without problem » until ‘now
Noosa MP Sandy Bolton shamelessly admitted she would push a list of « Noosa-centric » demands if the Independent were to maintain the balance of power
Ms Bolton got up early to visit all of the voter booths and speak with her ‘turquoise army’ of passionate volunteers on Election Day
It appears that many voters on the coast got their bearings early on, with reports of calm stalls in the area today
The Caloundra and Kawana candidates reported very sporadic voter numbers, not to mention the day
It was a similar story to Kawana, on a range of stands, and Maroochydore followed the trend
It remains to be seen whether there is a high number of non-voters, but the numbers of withdrawals indicate that many engaged in the process and voted earlier this year.
The number of postal votes is also expected to be significantly higher this year than in previous elections and if so, that would explain the very small number of voters present on election day today.
Queensland Election Commission figures show more than 16,000 people voted by pre-vote in Caloundra, a seat that had just over 34,000 registered voters in 2017
Glass House was similar, with over 15,000 residents having their say ahead of Election Day
As Election Day and Halloween coincide this year, party volunteers vie for the best clothes at polling stations across the Sunshine Coast
A woman turned heads at the Maroochydore State School polling station on Saturday morning when she arrived dressed as a creepy nurse
Sharon Perryman, group fitness instructor at World Gym, had spent the morning taking a Halloween-themed fitness class
After voting, the Sippy Downs resident said none of the local candidates stood out
Isha Wilson felt the same and said he only showed up to the voting booth so he was not fined for not voting
Roslyn Riethmuller said the issues that were important to her this election were the environment, revegetation and concerns about the COVID-19 vaccination
« My vote was more or less an easy decision, I want to move away from the oligarchy of the big parties, and instead have more representation of the small parties »
« They have to make sure that tourism is supported on the Sunshine Coast, but that it does not come at the expense of this beautiful region »
Elections began quietly at Buderim Mountain State School, with few voters lining up to vote on Saturday morning
Buderim is one of the most contested seats on the Sunshine Coast with nine candidates vowing to vote
The LNP’s Brent Mickelberg has held the seat since 2017, but Steve Dickson, who lost the seat as a One Nation candidate in the last election, promises to make a comeback as an Independent this year
Other candidates include Michael Andrews (Ind), Deborah Moseley (Greens), Alison Barry-Jones (Ind), Joyce Hosking (One Nation), Ken Mackenzie (Labor), Daniel Philp (UAP-United Australia Party) and Alina Lee (IMOP – Informed Medical Options Group)
The last day for Sunshine Coast political hopefuls seeking a seat in the state’s next parliament has arrived
A record number of postage and pre-election numbers were expected ahead of Saturday’s state election, but voters in the Sunshine Coast will still be thronging to vote
Around 1,300 stalls will open at 8 a.m. across the state for one of the most important elections in Queensland history
Every vote counts, so if you’re not one of the many who have already voted by post or pre-ballot, be sure to get to the polls before 6 p.m. to have your say.
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With polling stations in the region now closed, the countdown is on to see who will
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Queensland State Election 2020, Sunshine Coast, Queensland Election Commission
World News – AU – Queensland Election 2020: Challengers throw in the gauntlet
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
