The democratic rights of some Pilbara residents have seemingly been affected after the electoral commission cancelled plans for more remote polling just days before the Western Australian state election.
Polling in the remote town of Nullagine, 1,300 north of Perth, was due to take place on Tuesday having previously been moved once before, but was cancelled in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Zelia, according to the WA Electoral Commission (WAEC).
The town's 1,200 residents now face a 400km trip to Newman on the weekend to exercise their democratic right to vote. Whilst there is a one-hour window of remote polling in Marble Bar open today - a 200km round trip from Nullagine - the road between the two towns is closed.
The town, which the latest census shows is almost 14 per cent Indigenous, faces the same concerns as the communities of Warralong and Strelley, with cancellation meaning residents face the possibility of a $50 fine for not voting - compulsory in state elections.
Western Desert community leader and Nullagine resident, Bruce Booth, told the ABC the cancellation of remote polling was "a big loss," and even if people could travel to Marble Bar on such short notice, things like fuel affordability made this difficult.
"If we don't have the chance to vote because we have to travel backwards and forwards a long distance, it's not fair to the community," Mr Booth said.
"We want to see the polling booths come to the community, not chase the polling booths. Because if we miss out, we get in trouble."
The WAEC blamed Tropical Cyclone Zelia for the cancellation, saying whilst they were "disappointed," they had no other option.
"Rescheduling was unable to go ahead due to ongoing safety concerns and the evacuation of affected communities into towns for their safety," a WAEC spokesperson said.
Before the Voice referendum in 2023, it was reported a quarter of the First Nations people in WA eligible to vote were not enrolled - the lowest rate in the country.
By August last year, the enrolment rate had increased to 86.1 per cent yet remained the lowest in the country. The AEC estimates 11,016 Indigenous people of voting age are currently not enrolled in WA.
Even without the cancellation of remote polling places, several barriers exist which disenfranchise Indigenous people in remote communities when it comes to voting at elections.
WA's size means even areas where remote polling is available can be a challenge to get to, as are issues such as the ineligibility for people incarcerated for more than a year to vote.
Western Australia currently has the highest Indigenous incarceration rate in the country.
In 2022, the Australian National University noted the abolition of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Election Education and Information Service in 1996, and the passing of the 2006 Electoral Integrity Bill - introducing more stringent rules for the identification required to vote - also disenfranchised remote Indigenous communities across the country.
