Voting closes in some Australian states for Indigenous Voice referendum

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags are pictured in front of Australian Parliament House, during The Voice referendum in Canberra, Australia, October 14, 2023. REUTERS/Tracey Nearmy

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Voting closed at 6 p.m. local time (0700 GMT) in three of Australia's eastern states and its capital region in a referendum to decide whether to recognise its Indigenous people in the constitution through the establishment of an advisory body to parliament.

The counting of the votes has begun in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and Australian Capital Territory.