Branch Stacking

Political party branch stacking belongs to the ‘rigging the vote’ class of corruption. While it might be unethical, branch stacking is not illegal, although aspects associated with it often are.
Depending on the jurisdiction, illegal aspects are:

• To enroll members under a false address


• To enroll, encourage or assist a member to enroll on the electoral roll at an address that is not their principal address.


• Enrolling minors, or enrolling others without their knowledge or consent. (to be effective this suggests the use of identity fraud.)


• To pay membership fees to encourage recruits. (Often these are bulk payments and include non-consenting enrollment)


• To pay membership for a person on the precondition that the member is then obliged to vote in a particular way

The main purpose of branch stacking is to gain sufficient numbers to ensure the outcome of the candidate selection process (preselection). That is, choosing the person who will represent a given party in an electorate (or riding).
Branch stacking is most often associated with factional control within parties or single electorate ego fights. While not exactly in the spirit of democracy these activities are probably as old as the system.
The real concern comes when special interest minority groups move in to take control of broad based political parties. These might be ethnic or commercial interests, or as we are witnessing in Australia, religious zealots or the Christian right.
As the religious right are finding within the NSW Liberal Party, a growing cynicism towards any political involvement leaves some party’s vulnerable to takeover by a zealous few.
Liberal member of the NSW upper house, David Clarke, has shown another sinister aspect of this practice; taking a leaf from the scriptures, he and his backers are adept at practicing Peter’s denial.
Secrecy should be the name of the game, although these clumsy, overzealous practitioners of vote rigging invariably thrust themselves into the limelight. Even though David Clarke’s religious right movement (known as the Uglies) could have succeeded with just a handful; of new conscripts, the whole affair became a rush of blood to the head.
For the normally staid Liberal Party this resulted in riots, guns being brandished and police being called to branch meetings. The preferred secrecy was blown, but the angelic Mr Clarke, despite the glare of publicity, denied all.
Indeed, the denials of the movement reached a ridiculous stage when sympathizer and Australian cabinet minister Tony Abbot, denying that there was any issue at all, claimed that Australia in fact recognised the doctrine of Separation of Church and State. A strange claim from a minister of a government which is constitutionally headed by the Queen – the head of the Anglican Church!
Denial, secrecy and stealth are the watchwords of this movement which would simply not survive full scrutiny by the people. Their actions illustrate the dangers to democracy when a fanatical minority seizes the opportunity to highjack the system.
Whatever the issues and belief being put forward, we should expect and demand that the political establishment act with the highest of ethics. Yes, I know, and water will run up hill! However unless ordinary people start demanding a more ethical approach the situation will only get worse. Don’t care about politics? Then you won’t care to complain when you know longer have any rights at all.