As the debate over proposed senate voting reforms rages in Parliament, crossbench Senators have been keen to highlight below the line votes, citing them as evidence of personal support.

"Nearly 7,000 Qlders voted for me personally. Matt Canavan (NAT), now a minister ONLY got 325 votes. Most crossbenchers received more votes!" Senator Glenn Lazarus tweeted on February 26, 2016.

"Muir 'got more votes than Minister Cash'," Senator John Madigan tweeted several days later on March 1.

But can below the line votes be used as a measure of "personal" support? Take a look at our infographic below to find out.