THERE was plenty of confusion at the Oxley Island Hall on election day as people turned up to vote only to be turned away.
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In past elections the committee has held a garage sale and cake stall to boost voter numbers to reach the quota needed to make the hall a viable polling booth.
The sale also helps raise funds for maintenance on the historic hall. After the recent state election a cheer went up after it was revealed the 150 quota had been reached so there was much anticipation about the upcoming federal election. Planning went ahead for the garage sale and cake stall on July 2.
But according to Australian Electoral Council (AEC) voting official Emma Montford the quota for the federal election was set at a minimum of 400 voters for a booth to be considered viable.
It appears to be an unfortunate break down in communication.
Members of the committee say they received the usual letters asking if there would be appropriate facilities at the hall available for the July 2 election but after that communication dropped off.
One man who could be forgiven for being a bit upset by all the confusion is 81-year-old Clem Thomas. He has been voting at the hall since he was 21 but he took it all in his stride - cooking snags, sipping tea and swapping yarns with other Oxley Island old-timers.
