Greens Candidate for Richmond, Mandy Nolan, got a boost late last week when she won the much-sought-after top spot on the ballot paper for the coming federal election.
On Friday afternoon, the Australian Electoral Commission held their official declaration of candidates and their randomised ballot draw.
The Greens’ Mandy Nolan found herself at position number 1, while Labor’s Justine Elliot, the Labor member who has held the seat for 20 years, drew number 2.
The AEC revealed there were a total of 10 candidates running for the election, including from One Nation and several independents.
The National’s Kimberly Hone drew 7th place on the ballot.
‘Every candidate who walks into the electoral ballot draw wants the first spot,’ said a clearly elated Mandy Nolan, just after the randomised ballot.
‘We had a one-in-ten chance, and it went my way. As one of the other candidates noted – “it’s a sign”.’
Many more young voters
The Greens received another boost with the release of the latest enrolment data for Richmond showing significant jumps in the number of young people enrolled to vote in the electorate.
Figures from the AEC show the number of 18 and 19 year-olds enrolled to vote in Richmond in 2025 has surged to over 3000, with a staggering 65 per cent jump compared to 2022. The number of voters aged 20 to 24 has jumped almost 13 per cent, and voters aged 25 to 29 almost 14 per cent.
While Richmond voters are still dominated by an older demographic, the surge in numbers and proportions of young people enrolled in this Northern Rivers seat is another very positive sign for the Greens, who only need a 1.8 per cent swing to win.
Evidence from polls show young people tend to vote Green much more commonly than older Australians. The most recent Resolve Political Monitor poll estimates that among 18-24 year olds, a whopping 27 per cent intend to vote Green, compared to a national average of around 12 to 13 per cent.
A report for the Australian parliament shows that the shift of young voters to the Greens is a long-term trend.
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