It's been more than a week since we learned the government had set October 14 as the date for the Voice to Parliament referendum vote.
Postal voting will be available for people who, for various reasons, can't get into a polling place.
There are two types of postal voters:
In both cases, unless already a General Postal Voter, people will need to apply to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) for a postal vote to be sent to them.
Voters can apply for a postal vote from 6pm Monday, September 11, with postal voting applications closing on Wednesday, October 11.
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Because the writ was issued.
"As per referendum laws, postal vote applications can only open when a writ is issued to the AEC," an AEC spokesperson said.
Generally speaking, a writ is a legal document ordering the recipient do or refrain from some specified act, which is issued in the name of a sovereign or authority of some kind.
In this case, the writ is a document that will instruct the AEC to hold a referendum on October 14, formally beginning the whole process.
It was be issued by Governor-General David Hurley.
And while you might think it's all very ceremonial — and, look, you're not wrong — the writ does have some very important functions in that it sets the timetable for how things roll out.
Importantly, the electoral roll closes seven days after the writ is issued.
So the longer it takes for the writ to be issued, the more time people have to enrol to vote..
If you've never voted in an election before, then yes — although we call it enrolling, not applying.
Generally speaking, voting is compulsory for all Australian citizens aged 18 or over.
But you have to be added to what's called the electoral roll — which is basically just a list of voters — to vote.
And this doesn't automatically happen when you turn 18.
You have to enrol.
If you voted in previous elections, you're already on the electoral roll — you don't have to do anything before this election if your details haven't changed.
Don't worry, it doesn't take long.
The easiest way to do enrol is by doing it online at the AEC enrolment website.
You'll need one of the following:
But if you don't have any of those things handy, you can have someone who is enrolled confirm your identity.
Proof of Age or 18+ cards aren't accepted.
If you're not sure whether you've enrolled or not, you can check your details at the AEC website.
Postal vote applications will close at 6pm on Wednesday, October 11.
This provides, "at a minimum, a full month for people to apply for a postal vote", the AEC says.
It also stresses that postal votes are only for people who cannot make it in person.
You're eligible to register as a General Postal Voter if you are already on the electoral roll and you are unable to attend a polling place because you're:
You can apply for a single event postal vote if you can't get to a polling place on voting day because you:
Alternatively, you can get a paper postal vote application at any AEC office, print this downloadable form to fill out or call the AEC on 13 23 26 to be sent a paper postal vote application.
As with online applications, paper applications must be received by the AEC by 6pm local time on Wednesday 11 October.
You can return paper applications by mail, fax or at your nearest AEC office.
They must be completed and witnessed by 6pm on voting day — Saturday, October 14.
The AEC encourages people to put their votes in the post as soon as they've completed them.
To be counted, they must be received by the AEC by Friday, October 27.
Posted Thu 7 Sep 2023 at 10:28pm Thursday 7 Sep 2023 at 10:28pm Thu 7 Sep 2023 at 10:28pm , updated Thu 5 Oct 2023 at 4:06am Thursday 5 Oct 2023 at 4:06am Thu 5 Oct 2023 at 4:06am
