Single electoral management body

Australian federal elections are conducted by one independent electoral body, the Australian Electoral Commission.

The processes in place for the conduct of a federal election are consistently applied across the country.

Varying management bodies and processes

In some countries, a national election is administered by separate election authorities in local jurisdictions – or by the elected government of the relevant jurisdiction.

At times, this results in significantly different electoral processes being utilised in different parts of the country, including in neighbouring jurisdictions.

Compulsory voting

Australia is one of few countries in the world where voting is compulsory. It has been compulsory for more than 100 years.

Voluntary voting

Most countries in the world have voluntary voting.

High rates of enrolment

Australia has a single, national electoral roll administered by the AEC utilising consistent processes nationally and several layers of integrity checks and actions.

As at the end of 2024, Australia has an estimated enrolment rate of eligible Australians of around 98%.

Varying enrolment rates and processes

Many nations have electoral rolls or voter registration processes administered in individual jurisdictions by separate authorities. This can cause duplication and other roll integrity issues.

Often, in voluntary systems the rate of enrolment can be very low in comparison to Australia, with concerted campaigns in the lead up to elections focussing solely on enrolment.

High rates of voter turnout

The proportion of people on the electoral roll who cast a vote in Australian federal elections has remained consistently high since the introduction of compulsory voting in 1924.

Varying voter turnout

In many nations, voter turnout can be difficult to quantify due to the nature of electoral rolls / voter registration. Reported rates of voter turnout vary greatly with many nations having 50% or less casting a vote.

Full preferential voting

Australia’s House of Representatives elections require voters to number all the boxes on the ballot paper.

This system of voting means that even if most people in a voter’s seat support candidates that they dislike the most, they still have their preference counted towards which candidate should get elected over another.

First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) or Optional Preferential Voting (OPV)

There is a variety of voting systems used in democracies around the world, each with their own supporters and detractors.

Options to access the vote

• Early voting centres
• Election day polling places
• Postal voting
• Interstate voting
• Overseas voting, including Antarctica
• Remote area voting
• Mobile voting: hospitals, residential care facilities, homeless centres and prisons
• Telephone voting for people who are blind or have low vision

Precinct voting

Access to voting services varies greatly across the world. However, in many nations, including western democracies, voters get a designated location and time where they can cast their vote.

In some nations, a voter’s name may even be at a single table within that designated location.

Manual voting

Voting in Australian federal elections is a manual process. Physical ballot papers are utilised with voting occurring in-person and security measures in place for the transport and storage of ballot papers.

Voting technology

Some countries have electronic voting machines or internet voting.

Manual and transparent counting process

Counting is entirely manual for the House of Representatives. It is undertaken by 100,000 temporary staff who are members of the Australian community. The count is observed by candidate-appointed scrutineers with results data published in real time.

Every Senate preference marked by a voter is also manually reviewed by an AEC staff member. This process is also open to scrutineers with all the information from the count published by the AEC.

Varying count processes

In areas where electronic or internet voting occurs, counting is often performed by that software.

Independent boundary redistributions

Electoral boundaries are redrawn by an independent committee according to prescriptive criteria in the Electoral Act.

Each redistribution process is triggered by criteria that seeks to avoid disparity in the numbers of voter per seat and the process involves several stages of public consultation.

The process for redistributing federal electoral boundaries ensures that no gerrymandering can occur.

Non-independent boundary redistributions

In some countries, redrawing electoral boundaries is undertaken by governments in local jurisdictions. This often leads to questions and commentary about the resultant boundaries and the fairness of the process.

Party workers & scrutineers: Broad access

Party workers play an important role in Australian elections and have the freedom to communicate with voters.

Candidate appointed scrutineers have the right to be present during voting services and throughout the various stages of counting ballot papers. They observe these electoral processes to ensure the rules are followed and to confirm the transparency and integrity of the election.

Scrutineers: Access sometimes limited

Not all jurisdictions allow a broad level of access to campaign or observe election processes.

There can be varying rules for “election observers” or” poll watchers” with accreditation and access.

Weekend voting

Australian federal elections are always held on a Saturday.

Weekday voting

Many nations have their election day on a weekday. The potential difficulty of being able to vote on a workday can be exacerbated in some jurisdictions by the fact that there are not alternative voting options.

Environment: Community festival

Australian federal elections are often talked about because of the community atmosphere that surrounds the process.

By and large, polling places are peaceful venues where individuals interact with each other in a civil manner. There is also often a community fundraising element to it with community groups and organisations (Lions club, Rotary, School PnCs, footy clubs etc) putting on a cake stall or sausage sizzle.

The evolving communication environment surrounding elections (and in society more broadly) has the potential to be a threat to this aspect of Australian elections. However, it remains a feature for now and is a precious element of Australian democracy.

Election environment

In some countries, there is the requirement to have security arrangements in place at voting centres.

Voting can involve having army personnel or armed guards in attendance, dipping a finger in indelible ink or direct intimidation/influence to vote a particular way.