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Australian Electoral Commission
Silent enrolment means your address will not be shown on future editions of the publicly available roll.
All applications for silent elector status are carefully considered by the AEC. Your profession, having a silent phone number, or not wanting to receive junk mail are not considered reasons for granting silent elector status and an application would not be granted based on these reasons alone.
If there are other family members enrolled at your address with the same family name, it is strongly recommended that they also become silent electors so that the address does not appear in association with your family name on the electoral roll. They must complete their own application for silent registration and can request silent status on the grounds that you have silent status.
18+ or Proof of Age cards are not accepted. If you don't have any of the above forms of identification, please use a paper form.
Start silent elector enrolment
You must explain in detail what you consider the risk to be and why your, or your family’s, personal safety is at risk. Your commonwealth statutory declaration must be witnessed by a person who is listed on page 2.
The statutory declaration is required to be a Commonwealth statutory declaration, that is, a statutory declaration made under the Statutory Declarations Act 1959 (Commonwealth). The AEC cannot accept statutory declarations made under state/territory legislation.
We will consider whether your claim complies with legislative requirements and will notify you in writing of the decision. This information will be treated in strictest confidence at all times.
If you are granted silent status for a new address, only your name and the name of your division will appear on the electoral rolls. However, if you are granted silent status for the address where you are already enrolled, you should be aware that your address will appear on electoral rolls that are already available in the public domain but will not appear on any future electoral rolls.
Once granted silent enrolment, it may take up to 7 days for your details to be masked from the roll. Please contact the AEC if this poses any issue.
You don't need to reapply to be a silent elector but you do need to update your enrolment with your new details. You can change your address or change your name online with the AEC. When the AEC updates your enrolment details you will continue to be registered as a silent elector.
You should also notify us of any change to your postal address.
Register as a general postal voter to have ballot papers automatically sent to you when a federal or State/Territory election or referendum is called. Check with your state/territory electoral commission for arrangements for local government elections.
If you do not register as a general postal voter you will need to either attend a polling place on polling day, attend a pre-poll voting office prior to polling day or apply for a postal vote for the relevant election.
Local government rolls are a combination of the Victorian state roll and council ratepayer lists. If you have been granted silent status on the Victorian state roll, your address in respect of that enrolment will be suppressed on the local government roll.
Ratepayers who do not live within the municipality, non-Australian citizens and company nominees are included on the local government roll by the council. If you are one of these people and you do not wish to have your non-resident address and/or your residential/contact address included on the local government roll, you will need to make a separate application to the council to become a municipal silent voter.
Complete and print the correct form below and return it to the AEC.
Already enrolled online?
Check the status using the receipt number provided.
Information about this online session will be stored with your application, including the IP address of your device. This information may be used by the AEC for analytical purposes including the detection of fraud.
The AEC acknowledges the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters, culture and community. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.