A - M / N - Z

Absent votes
Electors who are out of their division but still within their State or Territory on polling day may cast an absent vote at any polling place in that State or Territory.

Absolute majority
In Australia, in the House of Representatives election, a successful candidate must receive more than half the formal votes to be elected in a division (50% + 1 vote). This is called an absolute majority.

Australian Electoral Commission
The independent statutory authority established in 1984 to maintain and update the Commonwealth electoral roll and conduct federal elections and referendums.

Australian Electoral Officer (AEO)
Australian Electoral Commission's chief manager in each State and the Northern Territory. The returning officer for the Senate in each State and Territory.

Ballot
A method of secret voting, normally in a written form.

Ballot box
The sealed container into which an elector places a completed ballot paper.

Ballot paper
A paper which shows the names of the candidates who are standing for election. The voter numbers the boxes beside each candidate's name to show his or her preferences.

By-election
These are held when the member of parliament who represents that electorate retires or dies. If a Senator retires or dies, no by-election is held. (see: Casual vacancy)

Candidate
A person who stands for election to Parliament. In Australia candidates can be nominated by political parties or stand as independents.

Casual vacancy
If a Senator retires or dies the casual vacancy is filled by a person chosen by the joint sitting of the Houses of Parliament of that State until the expiration of the term. The person chosen must be of the same political party as the predecessor.

Certified list
The certified list is a copy of the electoral roll for a particular division. Polling officials place a mark against an electors name when the elector is issued with their ballot papers at a polling place to indicate that the elector has voted.

Close seat
A term used while counting votes to describe a seat where the results are tight. On election night, this is where the two candidate preferred (TCP) result is between 47% and 53% and more than 5% of the vote has been counted. After election night and until counting is completed, this is where the TCP result is between 49.5% and 50.5% and more than 5% of the vote has been counted.

Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (CEA).
The legislation governing the Commonwealth electoral process. See CEA.

Compulsory enrolment
If you are 18 years and over and an Australian citizen you are required by law to enrol.

Compulsory voting
Australian citizens 18 years and over are required by law to vote in federal elections.

Constitution
The set of basic rules by which a country or state is governed. In Australia's case it is a document written in the 1890s which sets out the structure of Australian federal politics. The Constitution can only be amended through a constitutional referendum.

Court of Disputed Returns
A candidate, elector or the Australian Electoral Commission may dispute the validity of an election by a petition to the High Court sitting as the Court of Disputed Returns. The court has wide powers to resolve the matter.

Declaration votes
Votes that are sealed in an envelope signed by the voter. These votes are cast when:

• the voter's name cannot be found on the certified list
• the voter's name is marked off the certified list as already having voted
• the voter is registered as a silent elector (ie. his/her address does not appear on the roll.)
• the voter casts an absent, pre-poll or postal vote.

Declaration of poll
A formal statement of the result of an election.

Democracy
Government on behalf of the people by their elected representatives.

Distribution of preferences
The process used to determine the winning candidate when no candidate wins an absolute majority of first preference votes.

Division
Geographical areas containing approximately equal numbers of voters as defined for federal electoral purposes.

There is a divisional office in each of the 150 House of Representatives electoral divisions. The Divisional Returning Officer (DRO) and staff at this office are responsible for the enrolment of voters, conducting the election in that division and providing information sessions to schools and community groups.

Division Finder
The division finder is an alphabetical listing of all localities within a state or territory. It is used to determine which division any address within a state or territory belongs.

Donkey vote
A ballot paper marked 1, 2, 3, 4 straight down (or up) a ballot paper.

Double majority for referendum
To alter the Constitution, a majority of all formal votes cast in a referendum, as well as a majority of votes in a majority of states must be gained to authorise the change to the Constitution.

Divisional Returning Officer (DRO)
The full time Australian Electoral Commission officer responsible for maintaining the roll and conducting the election in each division.

Election
The choosing of representatives by the voters.

Electoral Commissioner
The Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Electoral Commission who has statutory responsibilities for conducting elections, referendums and for redistributions.

Electoral roll
A list of the names of all the people who are entitled to vote in an election.

Electoral Roll Review
A house to house survey conducted by the Australian Electoral Commission in each division to check that electors are correctly enrolled.

Electorate
The total population within a special boundary which is entitled to cast a vote.

Electors
All those people entitled to vote at an election.

Enfranchise
To give a person the right to vote.

Enrolment
You cannot vote at an election unless your name is on the electoral roll. Australian citizens over 18 years of age (with a few exceptions) must enrol to vote.

Enrolment form
Application form to enrol to vote or to change your address in Federal and State/Territory elections. Enrolment forms are available at all post offices, postal agencies, AEC offices and on our Home Page.

Exhausted votes
These are ballot papers which show no further valid preference for any candidate and must, therefore, be set aside from the count.

Fairly safe seat
A term used after counting has been completed to describe a seat where the winning candidate received between 56-60% of the vote.

Federation
The unification of Australian Colonies which formed the Australian nation on 1 January 1901.

First past the post
A voting system in which the candidate with the most votes is elected whether or not that person has more than half the votes counted. This system is still used in many countries such as UK, USA, NZ, Canada. It is also used in some local shire or council elections in Australia.

Formal vote
A vote cast in an election or a referendum that has been marked according to the rules for that election. A vote not marked correctly is an informal vote.

Franchise
The right to vote.

Fresh scrutiny
The check and recount of ballot papers (that were counted in polling places on election night) after polling day by AEC staff.

Funding and Disclosure
This scheme has two main parts: public funding of election campaigns and disclosure of certain financial details by candidates, political parties and other persons and groups who submit returns to the AEC. It helps to manage public funding and disclosure provisions in accordance with the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918.

General election
An election for all the seats in the House of Representatives.

General Postal Voter (GPV)
Electors who have difficulty getting to a polling place on polling day can register as a GPV. GPVs include people with a disability, silent electors, prisoners, people who are on remand or in periodic detention, those in remote communities, and people who have religious objections to attending a polling place on polling day. As soon as the DRO receives the ballot papers for an election, GPVs are sent postal ballot papers and certificate envelopes.

Gerrymander
The drawing of electoral boundaries in a way which gives one political party an unfair advantage in elections.

Government
The political party or coalition of parties which has won a majority of the seats in the House of Representatives forms the government. The Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition are always Members of the House of Representatives.

Group voting ticket (GVT)
Within 24 hours after the close of nominations for the Senate, parties or groups may lodge a GVT which shows the order in which they want their preferences distributed. If a voter chooses to put the number '1' in one of the boxes above the line on the Senate ballot paper, all the preferences will be distributed according to that group's GVT. Voters may choose to vote below the line according to their own preference.

Half senate election
Held every three years to elect half the Senators for a State. Unlike State Senators, Territory Senators face re-election at every general election of the House of Representatives.

House of Representatives
One of the two houses of federal parliament, the other being the Senate. It is often called the 'Lower House' however at Federation, the House of Representatives was seen as the 'People's House'. Members of the House of Representatives are chosen directly by the people of the Commonwealth, and in each State and Territory the Number of Members elected is proportional to the number of people in that State or Territory, except that at least 5 Members must be chosen in each original State. The House of Representatives currently has 150 Members.

How-to-vote cards
Cards handed out to voters by party officials at polling places on election day, suggesting you vote for a particular party or candidate. You do not have to follow these cards. How you choose to vote is up to you.

Independents
Candidates for, or members of parliament, who do not belong to a political party.

Informal vote
A ballot paper which has been incorrectly completed or not filled in at all. Informal votes are not counted towards any candidate but are set aside.

Itinerant elector
A person who is in Australia; and because the person does not reside in any subdivision, is not entitled to be enrolled for any subdivision.

Malapportionment
A term used to describe an electoral system where different electorates have large differences in the number of voters in them.

Marginal seat
A term used after counting has been completed to describe a seat where the winning candidate received less than 56% of the vote.

Member
Any person elected to parliament, but more commonly used for those elected to the House of Representatives.

Mobile team
Mobile polling teams bring the polling place to the elector. Mobile polling is carried out around Australia during the 12 days before polling day and on polling day. Mobile polling teams visit electors in hospitals, nursing homes and prisons, they also visit remote locations by air, sea or road.

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