SA Voice election review flagged after claims voters were questioned over identity

South Australia’s Aboriginal Affairs Minister is considering an independent review of the state’s First Nations Voice to Parliament election after claims some voters were questioned about their Aboriginal identity and left feeling culturally unsafe at polling booths.

Provisionally elected Voice members allege that some Electoral Commission of South Australia (ECSA) staff asked intrusive questions when First Nations voters requested ballot papers, with Central region representative Ashum Owen saying, “It creates really unsafe conditions for Aboriginal people.”

Other voters described long waits, confusion and inconsistent information, including people being told they needed to queue twice to vote in both the state election and the Voice ballot, or that they had to specifically request a Voice voting paper. Concerns were also raised that some fair‑skinned community members felt “judged racially” when their eligibility was challenged.

In response, ECSA said it would conduct a comprehensive review of the election. In a statement provided to the ABC, a spokesperson said: “We are very concerned to hear that this was the experience”.

The controversy comes amid ongoing scrutiny of participation in the legislated Voice, with turnout again sitting in the low double digits. ABC News estimated 32,342 enrolled First Nations voters were eligible to cast a ballot this year, with less than 11 per cent voting.

Federal Liberal senator Kerrynne Liddle has renewed calls to scrap the South Australian Voice, arguing the model is failing to deliver outcomes. “I want to see measurable improvement in the lives of those it is intended to help,” she said.

The state government has defended the Voice as a key reform designed to strengthen First Nations input into laws and policies, while Voice members say the election process must be culturally safe if participation is to grow. Owen and fellow member Melissa Clarke have written to ECSA calling for an apology, improved training for election staff and clearer information for voters.

Any independent review ordered by the minister would sit alongside the electoral commission’s own post‑election assessment, with Voice members arguing the next poll must address barriers that left some people feeling disrespected and excluded from a process meant to amplify First Nations voices.