A recount will take place in the Bradfield electorate following an extremely close result between Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian and Independent contender Nicolette Boele. In the initial tally of all 112,374 votes, Kapterian leads Boele by a mere eight votes, prompting the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) to confirm the recount due to the slim margin being less than 100 votes.
Kapterian expressed her gratitude to her supporters and the AEC staff via Instagram, highlighting the challenging and close nature of the count over the past two weeks. In her message, she also acknowledged Boele and her team for their hard work during this tight race.
The recount is set to commence on Monday and is anticipated to take two weeks to complete. It will involve a fresh tally of all first preference votes, a detailed examination of informal votes, a repeat of the two-candidate preferred count, and a redistribution of preferences.
Bradfield is located in northern Sydney. Under the House of Representatives’ preferential voting system, a candidate must secure an absolute majority of over 50 per cent of the vote to be declared elected, a process that may entail multiple counting rounds.