Voting – Australian Elections
Last Updated: 28 May 2019
Things you should do:
- Change Postal Address for Electoral Roll (if required) – https://www.aec.gov.au/enrol/change-address.htm
- Send Overseas Notification Form
As you may know, voting is mandatory in Australia if you are enrolled to vote. If you don’t you can face a fine as I did for the 2018 Victorian State Elections. Here is my guide, so you avoid having the same issues I did.
Overseas Notification
Just in case an election gets called while you are out of the country, its best to notify the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) and the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) (or your state/territory equivalent) that you will be overseas.
More information can be found from the official AEC website, https://www.aec.gov.au/Enrolling_to_vote/overseas/index.htm
The Overseas notification forms can be found directly here;
AEC (Federal Elections) – https://www.aec.gov.au/Enrolling_to_vote/pdf/forms/overseas/overseas-notification-form.pdf
VEC (Victorian Elections) – https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/files/OverseasNotification.pdf
I have removed myself from the electoral roll (I will need to reapply within one month of arriving back in Australia to live) only due to the fine I received for the 2018 Victorian Election.
Firstly I received an Apparent Failure to Vote Notice, which I could email a response, but then I got a fine a few weeks later, saying that I never responded. I had to apply for an Internal Review so I don’t have to pay $81 AUD. I am yet to here a response from the VEC at the time of writing this.
I recommend keeping a photo (recommend the Mobile App Office Lens by Microsoft for scanning documents) of the Notification, just in case you get an “Apparent Failure to Vote Notice”.
Update: I just found out that the Internal Review was in my favour and the Infringement was withdrawn. This is notified to the enrolled address via post.
Other Voting Options
Depending on the timing you might consider Early Voting but chances are that an election will be called later on, especially if you travel for a long period of time like us.
Postal Voting is the only other option in Victoria, which means the VEC can email you the ballot, which you then print out and post back (process may differ in different states). Postal Voting is also available for Federal elections where the AEC will post you the ballot overseas, which you then post back.
Both can be difficult when you are on the move due to constantly changing addresses and it can be difficult to just find a printer or post offices aboard.
Another option is to go to an Australian Embassy and cast a vote, which I have personally never tired, as most embassies are in capital cities and we tend not to spend too much time there. Also, it takes time away from travel.
More Information
Below is a portal to the various Electoral Commissions in Australia which should be helpful for people from different states. https://www.elections.gov.au/