Brian Wilde has liked going to vote at the reserve on Riverside Road at Federal elections for the past 20 years, because he doesn't like get bombarded by volunteers handing out how to vote cards.
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He says he won't get the chance to do that at this year's election on May 18, something which he is not happy about. The Riverside and Pimpinio polling places were abolished prior to the 2016 federal election.
"It won't affect me too much because I've got a car," he said.
"But for the elderly in our area and in Kalkee it stinks really. People who live in these smaller communities should be allowed to vote where they want to, not be dictated to where they need to go."
Horsham Rural City Councillor David Grimble, of Laharum, is also losing his nearest voting centre at this year's election.
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"The community here has received no notification the Laharum Primary School centre won't be available," he said.
"Voting is something you've got to replan your whole day around if you're not prepared. A lot of people out here are creates of habit, so the Australian Electoral Commission needs to do better to make people aware of the change."
Marnoo resident Lois Johnson said her town was another inconvenienced by the distribution of voting centres at this election.
"I was planning to vote early, there's no early voting centre in Stawell this year, so I'd have to come to Horsham for that," she said.
"There is also no booth in Marnoo, so I'd have to travel at least 23 kilometres to Rupanyup to vote on election day this year.
"As in all small towns, if you're in the car all the time it's costly, plus there are a lot of older people in Marnoo that don't travel as readily, so it would affect them more, but it's just another breakdown in communities and what you can do in your own town."
Ms Johnson said she found out after a community member posted voting booth details on the town's Australia Post mail boxes.
An Australia Electoral Commission spokeswoman said the organisation undertook a range of analysis between elections in order to determine the most appropriate voter service model.
"Part of the decision to abolish a polling place is based on a review of historical data, including vote trends across elections," she said.
"The AEC has vote thresholds and if they are not met, then we may consider abolishing a polling place. A number of factors are considered when making a decision, such as where the next closest polling place is, if there is a town centre close by where people would already be going for shopping or medical reasons and what other voting alternatives are available."
"If individuals are far away from a polling place or unable to make it to a polling place on election day, the AEC also offers postal voting."
A list of election-day voting centres can be found here.
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Alexander Darling
Alexander has been a member of the Wimmera Mail-Times' editorial team since December 2018, covering politics, business and property among other rounds. He is a passionate St.Kilda and rock and roll fan, and has previously worked as a radio reporter in Port Macquarie and Gosford, NSW.
Alexander has been a member of the Wimmera Mail-Times' editorial team since December 2018, covering politics, business and property among other rounds. He is a passionate St.Kilda and rock and roll fan, and has previously worked as a radio reporter in Port Macquarie and Gosford, NSW.
