How the #QLDvotes election day played out on Twitter

Sunday, 1 February 2015

A fast and furiously contested three-week campaign for the Queensland snap election took an interesting turn last night when challenger Kate Jones (@katejonesqld) unseated Premier Campbell Newman (@theqldpremier), taking his seat of Ashgrove in an historic victory for @QLDLabor.



@katejonesqld, news organisations and party supporters took to Twitter to hail her success.



@katejonesqld has been credited with an adept approach to social media throughout the brief campaign, adopting #teamkate early to deliver a consistently branded message.



News organisations were quick to react.


While the toppling of @theqldpremier attracted huge attention, there was of course still a State Election to be won. @9NewsBrisbane was first to call what would be a shock result.

However, with many of about 2.9 million votes yet to be counted and pre-poll and postal votes in key seats yet to be taken into account, other commentators were hedging their bets.


It was a stunning result for @QLDLabor, which entered the election holding just nine of 89 seats in the Queensland Parliament. More than 400 candidates were in the running, including from minor parties @QLDGreens, @PalmerUtdParty, Family First and One Nation.

As election day dawned, candidates took voters on the campaign trail for the last moments, posting colourful photos.



They shared the moment as they cast their votes.


And MPs, candidates and parties made a last ditch appeal for support and thanked their supporters.



As the countdown got underway in the afternoon amid reports @QLDLabor could in fact claim victory, TV networks swung into action with creative live coverage incorporating the swelling conversation on Twitter.

@SkyNewsAust used SnappyTV video highlights to showcase moments for those in Queensland who couldn’t make it to a TV or radio.

Seven News Brisbane used infographics to drive tune-in to their election special airing on the Seven Network across Queensland.

@9NewsBrisbane used graphics for those Twitter users who wanted quick updates in real-time. They also encapsulated live-tweets during key moments of their election special.

Competition for eyeballs hotted up as the @AsianCup#ACfinal - featuring the @Socceroos vs South Korea (@theKFA) - also got underway and the #AusOpen continued.



While the mood for some was gloomy, many light-hearted moments of the campaign were captured on Twitter.


And while he may not have won his seat, @PalmerUtdParty candidate Martin Brewster nevertheless won many fans and inspired humorous Tweets with his fine moustache.



The result is likely to cause ongoing conversation across #auspol, with a new @LNPQLD leader to be announced, along with the results of the election.



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