Federal by-elections for the electoral divisions of Longman (QLD), Mayo (SA), Braddon (TAS), Fremantle and Perth (both WA) will be held on Saturday 28 July.
Australian Electoral Commissioner, Tom Rogers said people must act now to ensure they’re enrolled, and their details are up to date by 8pm local time Friday 22 June.
“Australian citizens aged 18 years and over, and who are living in any of the five federal electorates are required by law to enrol and vote in their local by-election,” Mr Rogers said.
“You can enrol or update your enrolment details online. If you are unsure, you can check your enrolment online or call 13 23 26.
People can also apply for a postal vote, or register their interest in working as a polling official.”
| Issue of writs | Friday 15 June 2018 |
| Close of rolls | 8pm local time Friday 22 June 2018 |
| Close of nominations | 12 midday Thursday 5 July 2018 |
| Declaration of nominations | 12 midday Friday 6 July 2018 |
| Start of early voting | Tuesday 10 July 2018 |
| By-election day | Saturday 28 July 2018 |
| Return of writs | on or before Sunday 23 September 2018 |
Intending by-election candidates can nominate up until midday local time on Thursday 5 July.
The nomination process for people wishing to stand as candidates in elections and by-elections was recently updated to include an option to complete a qualification checklist. The checklist is included as part of the nomination form and enables nominating candidates, if they choose, to demonstrate their eligibility to be elected to Parliament under Section 44 of the Constitution.
If a candidate chooses to complete the checklist, and provides consent, it will be published on the AEC website following the declaration of nominations on Friday 6 July.
The AEC will publish information on whether we have received the checklist, whether consent was given to publish the checklist, and whether any additional documentation was submitted to support the candidate’s eligibility under Section 44 of the Constitution.
All additional documentation will be published on the AEC website, irrespective of whether the candidate has agreed to publish their checklist. Nomination forms are available from the by-election webpage links listed below.
New authorisation requirements for electoral matter came into effect on 15 March 2018.
As these by-elections are the first complete federal electoral events since the change, it is imperative that anyone intending to communicate electoral matter is familiar with, and complies with, the new authorisation requirements.
A landing page has been established for each by-election. These pages will be updated with candidate details and voting locations as information becomes available.
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