Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called the Australian election for May 3. But can you vote? Are you enrolled? Is it too late to enrol? OTR has you covered with this handy guide for all that and more. (Image: Robert Hicks).
By Robert Hicks | @_roberthicks
You’ve just seen on Instagram, or wherever you get your news from, that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called the federal election for May 3. For our younger readers, a panic may set in as you wonder: “have I enrolled to vote?”
First off, can you vote?
Only Australian citizens aged 18 and over can enrol to vote.
If you are currently 17 and will turn 18 before May 3, you can enrol to vote and have your vote counted.
If you’re 16 or 17 but will still be 17 or under by May 3, you can enrol and be ready for the next state and federal election, or for a referendum, but you will not be able to vote in the upcoming election.
The deadline for enrolling to vote and updating your details is April 7 at 8pm. You can enrol here. You can update your details, if you’ve moved or changed your name recently, here.
Enrolment is compulsory for citizens over the age of 18.
When can you cast an early vote?
Not everyone will be able to make it to a polling booth on May 3 for any number of reasons. In this case, you can cast an early vote.
Closer to the election, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) will announce the early voting centres you can visit to cast your early vote at.
Early voting begins April 22. Visit the AEC for more details.
When can you apply for a postal vote?
It may not be convenient for you to go to a voting centre at all. In this case, you can apply for a postal vote.
You can apply for a postal vote right now, but ballots will only be mailed after April 11.
Read more here.
Other methods of voting
People who are blind or have low vision can vote via the AEC’s telephone voting service. If you know someone who is blind or has low vision let them know about this service, especially if they are a first-time voter.
Mobile voting teams will visit locations with people deemed as having significant barriers to electoral participation from April 21. This includes hospitals and other care facilities, homelessness services such as shelters, prisons, and certain non-remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. There are also remote mobile voting teams that visit communities primarily in Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory to collect votes.
If you are overseas, you can vote in the two weeks leading up to the election at your country of residence’s Australian high commission, consulate, or embassy. If you find yourself in Antarctica, you can make use of the AEC’s telephone voting service. Read here for more info.
How voting works
There are two ballots: a green one for the House of Representatives and a white one for the Senate.
Quickfire context: the House of Representatives is where government is formed.
For the 2025 election, it is made up of 150 parliamentarians who represent 150 geographical areas (electoral divisions) of roughly equal population across Australia. New South Wales has 46, Victoria has 38, Queensland has 30, Western Australia has 16, South Australia has 10, Tasmania has five, the Australian Capital Territory has three, and the Northern Territory has two.
The Senate was envisaged as the state’s house, where each state has an equal number of senators regardless of total population to balance the power of smaller and larger states in the House of Representatives. It is made up of 76 senators who served staggered terms; 36 senators from the states (six senator per state) and four from the territories, who only serve one term, are up for election this year.
In this election, you vote for the local candidate that will represent you in the House of Representatives. You can find out which electorate you live in and who’s running for the seat here.
You will also be voting in the senators that will represent your state or territory. You can find out your state or territories candidates after April 11.
You can practice voting for the House of Representatives here and for the Senate here.
Stay tuned throughout April for On The Record’s election coverage.
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