Where do you vote? What do you bring? How do you fill in the ballot paper? What's a democracy sausage? We've got the answers.
THE 6 STEP ELECTION DAY GUIDE.
From the moment you arrive, until the moment you leave, here's what to expect and what to do.
Preparation
Firstly - have you enrolled to vote? Click here to make sure you're enrolled to vote.
WHERE CAN I VOTE?
You can vote at any 'polling booth'.
The easiest and quickest way to vote is to go to a polling booth within the electorate you are voting in.
If you are not going to be in your electorate, going to be overseas, or if you won't be able to get to a polling booth, click here to find out about postal voting.
WHAT DO I BRING?
All you need to bring is yourself!
How to Vote' forms
The moment you arrive, there will be a bunch of people handing you 'how to vote cards'.
These are recommendations from the parties on how they would like you to vote.
They are NOT mandatory.
Feel free to:
refuse to take them
use them
recycle them
fold them into unique paper airplanes.
But you don't HAVE to do anything with them.
Queuing
You will enter a queue. The queue might be very long. Brace yourself.
Bonus YACSA tip:
We recommend sharing Smashed Avocado stories with people around you to pass the time. But we’re also on Tik Tok if that’s more your speed.
Ticking your name off
When you reach the front of the line you will walk up to the election official at the desk.
They will find you on the electoral roll and cross off your name, give you your ballot papers, read you the instructions on how to fill them out and send you on your way to a small, cardboard voting booth.
Bonus YACSA tip:
There's thousands of people in their book. It might take them a while to find your name. They've had a long day. Be nice to the election officials.
Actually voting
For now, here are the basics:
For the SMALL ballot paper:
Put a '1' in the box next to your favourite candidate.
Put a '2' next to your second choice.
Keep going down until EVERY BOX IS NUMBERED.
Note: you can also go reverse, and put the lowest number possible for your least favourite candidate and work your way up.
You can find a practice House of Representatives ballot here.
For the LARGE ballot paper:
Same as above, in that you put a '1' next to your favourite candidate, a '2' for your second favourite, and so on.
If you vote 'below the line', you need to mark at least 12 boxes.
If you vote 'above the line', you need to number at least six boxes from 1 to 6.
However, with both, you are free to mark as many more as you like.
You can find a practice Senate ballot here.
If you make a mistake, you can always ask the official for a new sheet.
When you're done, take your ballot papers and put them in the ballot box.
Bonus YACSA tip:
Skip the graffiti on your ballot papers, while you’re allowed to it ultimately just makes the election officials job harder when they’re counting votes. There are waaaaaay better ways to express your political views or frustrations - like becoming a YACSA young member! (click here to sign up!)
Reward yourself
Well done! You have just democracy-ed. (Yes, we made that word up).
It's time to celebrate.
We recommend grabbing a democracy sausage before you leave (or an alternative that suits your dietary needs).
The democracy sausage is a time honoured tradition unique to Australian democracy, where the local sausage sizzle is a vital part of the voting experience - and it helps raise money for the local school/community group.
