I live opposite Altona College. People flock to this place every 3-4 years to execute their citizen duties, as it is a polling venue. Cars will line up on both sides of Civic Parade and into the side streets. I do not know whether Polling Day is declared a public holiday in Australia but it is in Singapore. People hoping for an extra weekday public holiday will however be disappointed as Polling Day is always scheduled on a Saturday in Singapore, without exception.
There appears to be much fewer people today, compared to that for the Federal Election. This is a surprise as I would expect a higher turnout in the morning as heavy rains are forecasted to take place in the afternoon. The Age has reported that Victoria has a record-breaking number of early voters, with many people already casted their votes in inner city suburbs such as Melbourne and Brunswick prior to Polling Day. Could this explain the apparently trickling turnout at Altona College in the morning?
People are enterprising. Altona College has organized a fund-raising sausage sizzle, targeting the people turning up at the College to cast their votes.
There is also a garage sales taking place right across the street, opposite Altona College. Like other curious passerbys, I had also stopped by to see what are on offer.
