Griffin remains confident
TIM Griffin is convinced he's in with a chance of overhauling Margaret Strelow's 2000-vote lead in the race to the mayor's chair.
"I can assure you that after pre-polling and postal votes are counted the margin will be much smaller. I'm very confident about that," he said yesterday.
And then it will come down to preferences.
Mr Griffin had a preference deal with Lea Taylor. Ms Strelow made no deals.
"It's certainly not over yet. There are thousands of votes still to be counted, maybe 10,000 or more."
He said that after raising concerns with the returning officer over advice given to voters by poll officials in Parkhurst, he was preparing a list of questions for Electoral Commission Queensland.
Mr Griffin said it now appeared that in each of the divisions where there were only two divisional candidates, voters were told they did not have to worry about optional preferential voting.
"I'm convinced the officials were only trying to be helpful, but they forgot that there was also a mayoral election with five candidates where electors could make preferences if they wished."
The Morning Bulletin received a number of calls from voters yesterday confirming they had been given the same instructions as Mr Griffin.
If the commission wishes, it can order a new election.
