Despite hitting the polls four days ago, Australians are still left in suspense as millions of paper votes remain uncounted and federal election results unsettled.

Australia is in a political limbo as the laborious process of counting printed ballot papers reaches its fourth day, with the election cliff-hanger seeing many voters calling for online voting in a bid to speed up processes.

Political commentators have criticised the paper vote procedure, stating if electronic voting was implemented in Australia poll results would have been announced as early as Saturday night.

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has voiced its disapproval of e-voting in the past, citing software malfunctions and technological vulnerabilities as the reason behind sticking to the traditional method.

[Related: Party plans for print this election]

In 2014 a parliamentary group recommended against e-voting, describing it as ‘too risky’.

Printing ballot papers costs the AEC upwards of $100m each election, including printing thick booklets of electoral rolls for every electorate. 

Many voters also took to social media to complain about the archaic size of ballot papers that were too big to fit the polling booths.

The federal government allegedly shipped some 20 million sheets of paper from overseas to use for ballots.

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