Vic electoral fraud case dropped

The niece of independent federal MP Cathy McGowan says she feels vindicated after electoral fraud allegations against her were dropped.

Maggie Ellen McGowan, 27, and her friend Sophie Petrea Fuchsen, 24, were charged with providing false and misleading information after Australian Federal Police alleged they voted in the seat of Indi while living in Melbourne during the 2013 election.

It followed claims of voter fraud in the seat, after Cathy McGowan's surprise win over the then-sitting Liberal frontbencher Sophie Mirabella by 439 votes.

Charges against Ms McGowan and Ms Fuchsen were dropped on Tuesday and the Commonwealth was ordered to pay their legal costs.

Ms McGowan later labelled the charges "a shameful political exercise" and said the baseless allegations had gone through the Australian Electoral Commission, AFP and Commonwealth prosecutors without regard to evidence.

"The developments today are a vindication," she said in a statement.

Outside the Melbourne Magistrates' Court, the women's lawyer, Rob Stary, said the case was bound to fail and a terrible waste of resources.

Both women were students at the time and the AEC website clearly said students did not need to change their "home address", he had told the court.

"The original complaint, whoever it was that initiated it, was quite scurrilous," Mr Stary told reporters.

The lawyer had no idea why the pair were singled out for prosecution, saying the same thing must happen in federal electorates across Australia.

The court heard Ms McGowan and Ms Fuchsen had changed their electoral details from Melbourne back to Indi before the election, and Mr Stary said that was because they intended to live in the seat, their base.

"There was nothing untoward about it, they simply went back to live in their family homes," he said.

Ms McGowan and Ms Fuchsen were not in court on Tuesday, as Ms McGowan now works as a lawyer in the Northern Territory and Ms Fuchsen is studying in France.

The Independent MP welcomed the striking out of the charges.

"There was never any case to answer, and there was no conspiracy," Ms McGowan said.

WHAT THE AEC WEBSITE SAYS:

* You should enrol for the address which is your permanent residential address.

* This is the address you intend to return to even if you are living somewhere else temporarily.

* For example, while studying at university you can remain on the electoral roll for your home address.

* Remember you must vote for the electorate you are enrolled in.