Enrolling to vote or updating your enrolment is a simple process that ensures you can have your say in Australia’s democracy.
When a federal election is called, the AEC will publish a timetable that includes the deadline for enrolling or updating your details. Typically, there is only one week between the election being announced and the roll being closed, so it’s a good idea to check your enrolment now and update it if required.
Who Needs to Enrol?
To vote in an Australian federal election, you must:
- Be an Australian citizen,
- Be at least 18 years old (though you can enrol at 16 or 17 in preparation for voting when you turn 18), and
- Have lived at your current address for at least one month.
Certain British subjects who were enrolled to vote in Australia before 26 January 1984 may also be eligible. More information on this can be found on the AEC website.
Enrolling to vote is compulsory for all eligible Australian citizens, and the AEC will use other government data sets (like tax returns and Centrelink information) to identify eligible voters who are not on the roll or who may have moved since the last election.
In some cases, the AEC will automatically enrol you or update your enrolment based on that shared data. This is called ‘Direct Enrolment’ and you will be sent a letter to let you know it’s all done, and gives you an opportunity to let the AEC know if they have made a mistake.
Pro tip: Students should check their enrolment hasn’t been automatically updated
One of the glitches in this data matching ‘direct enrolment’ program is that sometimes the AEC updates your address when they shouldn’t. The biggest cohort affected by this is university students who think they are enrolled to vote at home, but they have their ‘at uni’ address on their Centrelink records. The AEC data matches with Centrelink, updates the student’s address on the electoral roll, and then when the student goes to vote they get told they aren’t on the roll. This can be very confronting for young voters – so just check your enrolment before the rolls close, and remember you can always do what’s called a ‘declaration vote’ to sort it out on election day.
How can I find out if I’m already on the electoral roll?
The AEC has an online lookup tool to check if you are already on the electoral roll. Just head to https://check.aec.gov.au/ and fill in the form – but make sure you get the details exactly right, including your middle name. If the details aren’t right, the system won’t be able to confirm your details. You can also call the AEC on 13 23 26.
How do I enrol or update my details?
The easiest way to enrol is via the AEC’s online enrolment form. You can also use this form to update your details, such as:
- Your residential address (if you have lived there for at least one month),
- Your name (for example, due to marriage or legal name change), and
- Your postal address (if different from your residential address).
To complete your enrolment, you must provide one of the following forms of identification:
- Australian driver’s licence number
- Australian passport number
- Medicare card details
- Australian citizenship number
If you do not have any of these, someone who is currently enrolled can confirm your identity. Unfortunately, 18+ or Proof of Age cards are not accepted as proof of identity for enrolment purposes.
Pop all your details into the form and hit the button – it takes only about three minutes to do, and you’ll get a text confirmation a few minutes later.
Special Enrolment Categories
The AEC provides special enrolment options for individuals in unique circumstances, including:
- Silent electors – If you have safety concerns, you can apply to have your address kept private.
- People with no fixed address – If you are experiencing homelessness or frequently move, there are alternative ways to enrol.
- Travellers and remote workers – Special provisions exist for people who move frequently due to work or lifestyle.
In most cases, you can still use the online forms to enrol to vote but there might be some different questions depending on your circumstances.
For more information on these special categories, visit the AEC website.
What if I don’t want to use the online form?
If you prefer not to enrol online, you can download or collect a paper form and return it by post.
Follow all the New England Times coverage of the federal election here. Got a tip for us? Email newsdesk@netimes.com.au