Violence Mars Start of Pre-Poll Voting in Sydney

A teenage boy and a man have both been charged, and another man is currently in the hospital after two separate incidents that have tainted the opening days of the pre-poll voting in Sydney.

At about 1 pm yesterday, police were called to an early voting centre at Ashfield Town Hall in Grayndler, Prime Minister Albanese’s electorate, following reports of an assault.

A 79-year-old man wearing a Make America Great Again (MAGA) hat was said to have become aggressive towards a volunteer handing out how-to-vote cards when he was asked not to deface an Albanese corflute he’d approached.

The man was then allegedly punched by a 17-year-old boy, who had been standing across the street before witnessing the altercation.

Paramedics treated the older man at the Liverpool Road polling station before rushing him to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, where he remained in a serious condition overnight.

The boy was arrested and was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm overnight, he also refused bail to appear in a children’s court this morning.

The Australian Electoral Commission said it knew of the incident but confirmed the victim was not an election worker.

“The incident occurred outside of our polling place and did not involve any AEC staff,” a spokesperson told 9news.com.au.

“Voting operations are continuing at the pre-poll voting centre in Ashfield.”

Intimidation charge filed at a separate pre-poll voting centre

Earlier on Wednesday evening, police filed charges over a different pre-poll incident which took place at a voting booth in Macquarie Park on Tuesday.

At about 11 am on Tuesday, a 32-year-old man allegedly kicked a number of political advertising signs and became aggressive towards three volunteers working at the Herring Road booth, before walking off.

Allegedly, the man also intimated a 32-year-old female volunteer and acted in an aggressive manner towards the two others.

None of the volunteers were injured, but the matter was reported to police, who launched an investigation and arrested a 30-year-old man at a unit a few hundred metres away on Mahogany Avenue.

He was charged with intimidation last night and granted bail to face the Burwood Local Court on June 2.