Legalise Cannabis Australia (LCA) campaign advisor Craig Ellis is weighing up whether to make a complaint to the Victorian Electoral Commission after it emerged a party calling itself Legalise Marijuana has applied to register for the state’s election in November.
According to The Brisbane Times, LCA, which is planning to contest the election itself, has never heard of Legalise Marijuana or the people behind it.
The paper’s attempts to make contact with the new party were unsuccessful and it has no website or list of public policies.
Ellis, who is also chairman of Legalise Cannabis NSW, questioned the legitimacy of Legalise Marijuana, fearing it may be a ‘Trojan horse’ to hoover up preference votes in the upper house and direct them elsewhere.
He said: “It shines a light on the farcical electoral system in Victoria, frankly”.
He pledged not to lose sleep over LCA’s new ‘rival’, but said he was considering all options, including a complaint to the commission.
“It would be funny if it wasn’t so serious,” he added.
An analysis of voting patterns in May’s federal election showed LCA picked up Senate preferences from across the political spectrum, setting it up for state campaigns in NSW and Victoria.
