2018 Mayo by-election
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The 2018 Mayo by-election was a by-election held in the electorate of Mayo, during the 2017-18 Parliamentary eligibility crisis that saw the MP at the time, Rebekha Sharkie resign from her seat and regain her seat
The by-election was held on the same, day of four more by-elections know as Super Saturday
Background
the origins began when several federal MPs where found to be dual citizens without there knowledge, this breached section 44 of the constitution which disqualified candidates and MP's from having dual citizenship.
Six senators and the deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce gained the name "Citizenship Seven" when they were sent to the High Court to decide if they should remain as MPs
In October of 2017, the High court decided that 5 of the 7 were dual citizens when nominated for election and they were forced to resign, this caused more MP's to resign when they learnt they were dual citizens and briefly the government at the time lost there one seat majority until Joyce and an MP, John Alexander won there seats back.
Parliament made the effected MP's publish there citizenship details leaving more MP's to resign, Senator Katy Gallagher was ruled ineligible in May of 2018 due to her not fully completing the process of renouncing her dual citizenship before nomination
Four MP's would face the same situation before resigning and later re-contested there seats in by-elections
the effected Senators would be replaced when countbacks were done ( recount of the 2016 Senate election results) and replaced by Senators of there same party, six of the seven MP's would win back there seats and those who won remained in there respective parties
Results
| 2018 Mayo by-election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Centre Alliance | Rebekha Sharkie | 39,369 | 44.37 | +9.51 | |
| Liberal | Georgina Downer | 33,219 | 37.44 | −0.32 | |
| Greens | Major Sumner | 7,898 | 8.90 | +0.85 | |
| Labor | Reg Coutts | 5,370 | 6.05 | −7.47 | |
| Christian Democrats | Tracey-Lee Cane | 1,348 | 1.52 | +1.52 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Stephen Humble | 809 | 0.91 | −0.30 | |
| People's Party | Kelsie Harfouche | 716 | 0.81 | +0.81 | |
| Total formal votes | 88,729 | 96.47 | −0.64 | ||
| Informal votes | 3,246 | 3.53 | +0.64 | ||
| Turnout | 91,975 | 85.52 | −8.67 | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| Liberal | Georgina Downer | 49,375 | 55.65 | +0.30 | |
| Labor | Reg Coutts | 39,354 | 44.35 | −0.30 | |
| Two-candidate-preferred result | |||||
| Centre Alliance | Rebekha Sharkie | 51,042 | 57.53 | +2.56 | |
| Liberal | Georgina Downer | 37,687 | 42.47 | −2.56 | |
| Centre Alliance hold | Swing | +2.56 | |||