ALTHOUGH some Pearce ballot papers are yet to be counted it appears most likely that Liberal Christian Porter will retain the seat but with a reduced majority.
On Friday with the votes from 45 out of 49 polling places in Pearce counted there had been a 5.9 per cent swing against Mr Porter.
According to Australian Electoral Commission statistics Mr Porter achieved a two candidate preferred vote of 53.43 per cent compared with a 46.57 per cent two party preferred vote for Labor’s candidate Thomas French.
The commission’s website, which updates regularly, said there were 104,451 people enrolled to vote in Pearce.
On election day on Saturday, July 2 69.2 per cent of Pearce voters had turned out to vote with 4.4 per cent of votes deemed to be informal.
On Thursday the Australian Electoral Commission admitted that 105 Pearce voters were given Victorian Senate ballot papers by accident.
Apparently no one noticed until just before the end of polling day that the papers were the wrong ones when a special hospital early polling mobile ballot team visited health and aged care establishments across the electorate.
It is not known which hospitals or facilities were given the wrong sheets.
The commission said the votes had now been deemed informal.
