The Australian Electoral Commission - Head Office
Government in Canberra

See information about the voting process at a polling place. The vote cannot be counted until a careful check of enrollment records and entitlements has been made. Voters in each electoral division cast a vote to elect one person (a Member of Parliament) to represent them in the House of Representatives. Voters in each state and territory elect Senators to represent them in the Senate. That is, the ordinary votes that are cast at a polling place where the voter's name is marked off the electoral roll at the time of voting. Once the votes are counted and a triumphant candidate(s) has been determined there is a public declaration of the result. An employee must be on both lists to be included on the roll of voters). The ABC is responsible for conducting federal elections and referendums and maintaining the Commonwealth electoral roll. A declaration vote cast at a polling deposit outer of a voter's electoral division, but still within their state or territory. The augmented Electoral Commission considers any objections to the Redistribution Committee's proposed redistribution and makes the end determination about the boundaries and names of electoral divisions for a state or territory. A geographical area of Australia (known as an electoral division or electorate) represented by a member of Parliament elected at a House of Representatives election. The ABC officer responsible for maintaining the electoral roll and conducting the election in each division. A house to house survey conducted by the Australian Electoral Commission in each division to check that electors are correctly enrolled. You cannot vote at an election unless your name is on the electoral roll. A voting system in which the candidate with the maximum votes is elected whether or not that person has more than half the votes counted. A ballot paper that does not confront the rules for formality is called informal and cannot be counted towards the result. A vote cast on election day at a polling place within the electoral division for which a voter is enrolled. Polling places are set up in each division to receive the votes of the local people. A system of voting that requires a voter to indicate their order of preference for each candidate on the ballot paper. The number of votes a Senate candidate needs to take to be elected. When ballot papers for the Senate or House of Representatives are returned to the Divisional Returning Officer from all polling places for that division. A second or further count of votes in an election. A person elected to parliament to represent the people of a division (House of Representatives) or State (Senate). The formal act of an elector in an election to choose the candidate the elector most wants to be the representative for that division.