Early voting begins ahead of Australia’s May 21 election

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Early voting has begun in Australia’s election with the opposition party hoping the first ballots will reflect its lead over the government in opinion polls. Voting is compulsory in Australia and almost 17 million adults in a population of 26 million people are expected to vote. Pre-poll voting is available to those unable to vote on May 21 for reasons including work or travel. New opinion polls showed the center-left Labor Party opposition had extended its lead over Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s conservative coalition. Many observers say his government’s popularity was harmed by the central bank’s decision last week to raise interest rates to curb inflation. It was the first time the central bank did so during an election campaign.