Information for Indigenous Australians

Updated: 14 February 2011

Voting in the 2007 federal election

The federal election will be held on Saturday 24 November 2007.

No matter what you may have heard, if you are Indigenous and 18 or over, you do have to enrol and vote.

The AEC wants all Australians to have their say and make their vote count.

Usually, voting takes place at a polling place. If you are in your local area on election day you can vote at any polling place in your electorate. All polling places will be open from 8am to 6pm.

You can find your nearest polling place with the polling place locator or phone the AEC on 13 23 26. Polling places will also be listed in major newspapers.

What if I can't make it to a polling place on election day?

Depending on your circumstances, you may be eligible to vote:

  • at an early voting centre or AEC office. Early voting centres allow you to vote in person before election day. Early voting centres are in convenient locations such as shopping centres and airports and some will be open outside normal business hours. You can find your nearest early voting centre with the polling place locator or phone the AEC on 13 23 26. Early voting centres will also be listed in major newspapers.
  • by post. You can apply for a postal vote by filling out an application form.

Ballot papers will then be posted to you and once you have completed them, send them to the AEC in the reply paid envelope provided.

If you decide to do a postal vote you must remember to leave plenty of time for your ballot papers to be posted to you. You must apply for a postal vote before Thursday 22 November and your completed ballot papers must be postmarked before 6pm on election day 24 November. If not, your vote cannot be counted.

What if I'm in a remote area on election day?

Many remote townships and communities are visited by mobile polling teams. You may also be able to apply for a postal vote if a mobile team isn't coming near you.

Filling in the ballot papers

Make your vote count by filling in your ballot papers correctly.

Your vote matters DVD

The Your vote matters DVD for Indigenous Australians provides information on why we vote, how to register to vote and what to do with the ballot papers. You can download segments below.

Messages from the AEC's Indigenous Community Education and Information Officers

The AEC's Indigenous Community Education and Information Officers (CEIOs) have been visiting indigenous communities to encourage Indigenous people to enrol and make their votes count. They have also appeared on radio and television and in the Koori mail, encouraging Indigenous people to vote on election day. Listen to their messages below.