The Australian Electoral Commission says that on October 14, the word 'Yes' or a tick will be counted as a 'Yes' vote, but a cross, or 'X' will be ruled as invalid.
They also proposed an alternative ruling that ballot papers with just a tick symbol should be counted as informal votes, saying it would not prove a voter intended it to be affirmative of change.
According to the AEC, to correctly cast a vote in this referendum, people should write "Yes," in the designated box, or "No".In its advice, the commission says crosses are used on many forms in daily life, and could mean approval or rejection, and therefore will be counted as an informal vote. A clearly defined tick can only be interpreted as showing approval for something, and so will be counted, but the AEC has asked that voters "please don't" use symbols.
In the Federal Court, the AEC argued it was following the same legal advice it had received about referendums for many years, and that advice was clear, and unproblematic.
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