Enrolling to vote
By enrolling and voting in the upcoming election, you have the power to choose the person you most want to represent you in the Federal Parliament. It is the vote of the Australian citizen which puts people in and out of power. You can make that choice.
Full details on enrolment are available from the Australian Electoral Commission's (AEC) web site.
If you wish to download an enrolment form, please visit the AEC's enrolment form page.
Enrolment forms are also available from any post office or you can enrol on the spot at any AEC office.
If you wish to check if you are eligible to enrol these details are also available from the AEC's site.
To check your enrolment details or for further information you can phone the AEC on 13 23 26.
One Vote can make a difference
Australia is a Representative Democracy.
The Federal parliament is divided into two chambers, the House of Representatives and The Senate.
The House of Representatives
Commonly called the 'Lower House', is elected on a population basis. Australia is divided into federal seats, areas that contain approximately the same number of voters. Each federal seat is able to elect one person to represent them. That person is your local Member of Parliament.
In the 2001 election there will be 150 electoral divisions across Australia.
In NSW, there are 50 federal seats, while in South Australia there are 12. WA has 15, the NT has 2, 27 in Qld, 37 in Victoria, the ACT has 2 and Tasmania has 5 federal seats.
The Senate
The Senate, commonly called the 'Upper House', is elected on a statewide basis, regardless of state's size or population. The whole state or territory elect Senators to represent all of the voters within that state or territory. The number of Senators for each state is 12. The ACT and NT are each represented by 2 Senators. At this coming election, half of the State Senators and the Senators for the NT and ACT will be elected.
It is your choice.
Preferential voting
In this system a voter is required to indicate a preference by using numbers 1, 2, 3, etc. in the order of their choice. This means that all the boxes on the ballot paper must be numbered.
House of Reps - The Green Ballot Paper
House of Reps ballot papers are green and list all the names of the candidates and the political parties to which they belong. Some candidates do not belong to any political party and are known as Independents.
To vote for a Member of the House of Representatives you must number all boxes in order of your preference.
Put a number 1 next to your first choice, a number 2 next to your second choice, until you have numbered all boxes.
Senate - The White Ballot Paper
Senate ballot papers are white and list all the names of the candidates and the political parties to which they belong followed by the Independents.
Senate ballot papers are divided into two sections, you have a choice of two ways to vote, 'above-the-line' or 'below-the-line'.
Above-the-line.
You place a number 1 in the box next to the party or group that you want to vote for.
The party or group you vote for has registered the way they want their preferences distributed, and your vote will follow these preferences.
Below-the-line
In this section you vote by putting the number 1 in the box next to the candidate you want to vote for first, number 2 in your second choice and then number all boxes according to your preferences.
Voting from Overseas.
There are 2 steps to voting from overseas
- Ensuring that you are registered as an overseas voter. To ensure this you should fill out and Overseas Elector Application form and return it to the Australian Electoral Commission.
- Remember to vote. Ballot papers will not be automatically sent to you. Electors will still have to vote either in person at an Australian Diplomatic post, or by applying for a postal vote.
