ALONG with the pictures of penises, the votes for Albus Dumbledore and Adolf Hitler, and various misguided attempts to spell the word ''Donkey'', ballot papers for last week's federal election were, in their thousands, blank.

Scrutineers at booths in New South Wales have told The Sunday Age that the federal election was blighted by the Mark Latham effect.

The former Labor leader and sometime Channel Nine reporter used his time on the 60 Minutes program the Sunday before the election to suggest voters who were sick of both parties should turn in a blank ballot paper.

And in western and southern Sydney, at least, they apparently listened to the local boy. The 14 most informal electorates in the country were all in that area.

The same 14 NSW electorates were the worst performers at the 2007 election, but this time, they were even worse, swinging decisively towards informal.