The second conscription referendum was held on December 20, 1917.
The results were published in the Courier and the Star on December 21st. Ballarat voted No, although there were many Yes votes at the different polling stations across town. Victoria changed from a Yes vote in the previous referendum to No.
Interesting to note, working class Ballarat East clearly voted no, while Soldiers Hill, Ballarat and Ballarat West all voted yes. Warrenheip, a largely Irish population, asserted themselves by strongly voting no.
The papers reported it was a very hot day, and all the hotels were closed. For many, the vote must have been a relief from the debate, which was strenuous. Prof. Weston Bate in Life After Gold notes "The YES and NO votes spared no invective in distorting each other's positions, although at Ballarat the campaign was comparatively clean."
The results were published in the Courier and the Star on December 21st. Ballarat voted No, although there were many Yes votes at the different polling stations across town. Victoria changed from a Yes vote in the previous referendum to No.
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| The Ballarat Star, Friday December 21, 1917, page 1 |
Interesting to note, working class Ballarat East clearly voted no, while Soldiers Hill, Ballarat and Ballarat West all voted yes. Warrenheip, a largely Irish population, asserted themselves by strongly voting no.
The papers reported it was a very hot day, and all the hotels were closed. For many, the vote must have been a relief from the debate, which was strenuous. Prof. Weston Bate in Life After Gold notes "The YES and NO votes spared no invective in distorting each other's positions, although at Ballarat the campaign was comparatively clean."
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