Postal votes start being counted the day after election day, but because they can be received up to 13 days after election day, a significant chunk of votes will not be counted on May 21. Despite the AEC indicating who will win on election night, the result will not be declared until all votes are counted.
You can find out more about postal votes here and, if you’re living overseas, you can see if your country of residence accepts in-person or postal votes here.
Do I have to vote?
It is compulsory for Australian citizens aged 18 and over to enrol to vote and vote in Australian elections.
If you are enrolled to vote, but do not vote, you may be fined.
When do the polls close?
Polls are open from 8am and close at 6pm.
Polling places are usually located in public buildings, church halls or local schools, but if you’re unsure of where a polling place is, you can check here.
What if I have COVID-19 on election day?
If you get COVID-19 in the days leading up to the election, you can register for a postal vote up to Wednesday, May 18.
If you contract COVID-19 between May 18 and 21 then a telephone voting solution will be provided for you.
What COVID-19 precautions will be in place at polling stations?
A range of COVID-19 protocols will be in place on election day, including a requirement for all staff to be vaccinated and wear a face mask.
Some voting venues will have QR check-ins and capacity limits, which means that you may need to queue while waiting to vote.
Hand sanitiser will be available at all sites, and voting screens (which already have partitions) will be socially distanced and hygiene officers will clean them between use.
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What measures are in place if I have a disability or mobility restrictions?
Each polling place listed by the AEC comes with an accessibility rating. It will mark whether it’s wheelchair accessible, has assisted wheelchair access or is not wheelchair accessible.
Mobile voting, where voting teams will visit facilities and remote communities, is available for some people who cannot attend polling places. You can find more on mobile voting option here.
Telephone voting will be available for people who, for example, have issues with their vision, but also for people who have COVID-19 on election day.
Who are the contenders?
Scott Morrison is the leader of the Liberal Party and Anthony Albanese is the leader of the Labor Party. One of them will be Australia’s prime minister for the next three years, but other party leaders, such as the Greens’ Adam Bandt and the Nationals’ Barnaby Joyce, also play a significant role in the election.
The current government, led by Morrison, is made up of a coalition: a combination of Liberal and National seats to form a majority government.
Either leader is entitled to form a coalition, although both parties would prefer to form their own majority government. However, if there is a hung parliament (when no party has enough seats to form a majority), the Liberal Party would most likely form another coalition with the Nationals, and Labor could do the same with the Greens as they did after the 2010 federal election.
What are the seats to watch this election?
How does vote counting work?
Australia has a preferential voting system, which means that you must number the candidates on the ballot paper in order from your first preference to your last.
The graph below is a quick explainer on how preferential voting works, but if you want to know more about how voting systems work in Australia then check out this explainer.
When will we know who has won?
Counting votes can continue for many days after election day.
The AEC conducts a Two Candidate Preferred count of the House of Representatives ballot papers on election night, which indicates the likely outcome of the election.
If there is a hung parliament, which is where no party holds a majority in the House of Representatives, then it could take days or weeks for crossbenchers to decide which party to form a coalition with.
Crossbenchers are elected MPs who don’t belong to a major party. These could be independents or people who belong to minor parties.
Everything you need to know before heading to the polls
Source: Philippines Alive
