How does voting work in Australia?

How does voting work in Australia?

Citizens aged 18 or over must enrol to vote, and they must vote. This covers federal elections, state and territory elections, and referendums on changing the Constitution.

If you are not correctly enrolled, you cannot vote. Enrolling comes first.

Who must vote, and in what?

The booklet says you must vote in federal elections, in state or territory elections, and at any referendum. Local council elections are different. Voting may not be compulsory in some states for local government.

A referendum is a vote to change the Constitution. You can read more about it in the Australian Constitution.

Who runs the elections?

The Australian Electoral Commission, or AEC, is a Commonwealth agency. It runs federal elections and referendums, and it keeps the federal electoral roll.

The word to learn is independent. Political parties and people in government cannot tell the AEC what to decide.

What is the secret ballot?

Your vote is private. No one is allowed to know who you voted for unless you decide to tell them. This makes you free and safe to choose any candidate.

Why is voting compulsory?

The booklet gives the reason: when everyone must vote, everyone helps decide who governs and who speaks for them. If you skip it with no good reason, a fine may follow.

What do you vote for?

At a federal election, citizens vote for representatives in both Houses of Parliament, the House of Representatives and the Senate. At state and territory elections, you vote for a representative of your area in that parliament. In each local government area, citizens vote for their local councillors.

So there are three places where your vote counts: federal, state or territory, and local. The three levels of government article shows how they fit together.

Is voting the only way to have a say?

No. You can also contact your elected representative to raise a worry about government policy. The booklet says that if a citizen tells their representative a law needs to change, the representative should think about the suggestion.

This links back to the idea that representatives must answer to the people.

What does enrolment mean for you?

The booklet says only that you must be correctly enrolled to vote, and that the AEC keeps the roll. It gives no steps for enrolling, so do not look for them in the test. Remember the principle: correct enrolment comes before voting.

Facts that are easy to mix up

Voting is a responsibility and a privilege, and it applies from age 18. Enrolment is required before you can vote. The ballot is secret. A fine is possible, but only when you have no good reason.

For the bigger list of duties, see rights and responsibilities of citizens. The booklet text is in Part 3, government and the law. Put your knowledge to work in the free practice test.

Check yourself

• What must you do before you can vote?
• Who runs federal elections, and why does independence matter?
• Which kinds of vote are compulsory, and which may not be?