When we first raised serious concerns about the integrity of the recent South Australian election, we were dismissed by some as being too harsh, too early, or too suspicious. In our follow-up, we doubled down, pointing to irregularities and failures that simply didn’t sit right.

Today, those concerns have been vindicated in the most alarming way possible.

A second box of uncounted votes has now been discovered.

Let that sink in.

This is not a minor clerical error. This is not a misplaced envelope. This is now a pattern.

Reports confirm that another batch of previously uncounted ballots has been found, adding to earlier revelations that hundreds of votes were already missed in the initial count. What was first brushed off as an isolated oversight has now escalated into something far more serious. The Electoral Commission is now facing mounting pressure and an independent review, with frustration growing across the political spectrum.

We said it from the beginning. You cannot call an election result “final” when votes are still turning up after the fact.

This is not how a functioning democracy operates.

In one electorate alone, previously undiscovered votes triggered recounts after a razor-thin margin result. Across the state, more than 600 ballots were found sitting uncounted in sealed boxes. Now, with yet another batch uncovered, the credibility of the entire process is under a cloud.

And let’s be clear about what this means.

If votes can be “found” after results are declared, then the process is broken. It doesn’t matter whether the outcome ultimately changes or not. The damage is already done. Confidence is everything in an election, and right now, confidence is in short supply.

Here in Coober Pedy, we didn’t need hindsight to see the warning signs. We had no proper polling booth on election day. Hundreds of locals were effectively shut out of the process. That alone should have triggered alarm bells across the state.

Instead, we were told to trust the system.

Now the system is finding votes in boxes after the election is supposedly over.

We were first to call this election a sham. That was not said lightly, and it was not said for effect. It was said because the process failed at a fundamental level. What we are seeing now only reinforces that position.

The discovery of a second box of uncounted votes is not just embarrassing. It is disqualifying.

There must be accountability.

There must be transparency.

And most importantly, there must be a serious conversation about whether this election result can genuinely stand.

At this point, a return to the polls under proper management is not an overreaction. It is a reasonable response to a process that has demonstrably failed.

Democracy relies on trust. Not blind trust, but earned trust. That trust is built through competence, transparency, and consistency.

Right now, none of those boxes are being ticked.

The people of South Australia deserve better than this.

And the people of Coober Pedy, who were already sidelined once, deserve a vote that is counted properly the first time.