Tom Rogers, Australian Electoral Commissioner, delivers the 25th Annual Geoffrey Sawer Lecture: The curse of the sausage: laws, expectation and complexity in modern elections.

Australians enjoy a peaceful voting environment during federal electoral events.  Australian elections are known as a festival of democracy; inextricably linked in the public consciousness with the democracy sausage — or ballot falafel or cake. This festive and normally calm environment creates an image that electoral administration is easy. We have created a perception that federal elections are as relaxed as a barbeque on a Saturday afternoon. However,  Federal elections are Australia’s largest and most complex logistical peacetime activity. 

Citizens quite often don’t understand, or don’t consider, the law surrounding elections. They simply want to have their say (and their sausage) and go back to their lives. However, they do care if something goes wrong – Australians rightly expect and demand high integrity and lawful electoral processes. This is the electoral administrator’s conundrum – the more seamless the voting experience, the more easy people think it is to administer. Elections in Australia are anything but easy, and they have become even more challenging in the era of social media. Commissioner Tom Rogers will discuss how elections have evolved in the era of social media and how the Australian Electoral Commission has established a reputation management system to help safeguard the integrity of elections.