Senate Retains Manual Transmission Clause in Electoral Act Amendment Bill After Heated Debate

The Senate on Tuesday voted to retain a controversial provision in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill that allows for the manual transmission of election results in cases where electronic transmission fails due to network challenges.

The decision followed a heated debate on Clause 60 of the bill, particularly its proviso, which permits the use of manual result transmission as a fallback option.

Lawmakers were divided over concerns about transparency, technological reliability, and the integrity of the electoral process. After deliberations, the clause was put to a division vote on the Senate floor.

A total of 55 senators voted in support of retaining the proviso, while 15 senators opposed it.

See video here…

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives descended into chaos on Tuesday after an aggressive attempt by the leadership to fast-track the Electoral Act Amendment Bill without proper scrutiny.

Presiding over the session, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu tried to push multiple clauses at once, declaring that lawmakers would take “10 clauses at a time” instead of the usual clause-by-clause review.

That move immediately sparked open rebellion on the floor. Members erupted in protest. Voices rang out across the chamber:

“Clause by clause! Clause by clause!”

Members stood from their seats, openly challenging the process and accusing the leadership of breaching parliamentary procedure.