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Section Three: The Countdown - Part Two

Narration:

These are the people who are hoping to be elected as representatives in the Federal Parliament.

Almost everyone who is qualified to vote in a Federal election is also qualified to stand as a candidate, you don’t have to be a member of a political party, you just need to be nominated according to the rules, and to pay a deposit.

Nominations close three days after the close of the electoral roll. The following day, the draw for positions on the ballot paper is carried out in electorates all over Australia. To give all candidates an equal chance of being placed at the top of a ballot paper, these positions are determined by a double random draw.

Candidates are now concentrating on the business of campaigning for election. Here, too, the AEC has a role to play. Part of its responsibility is to investigate complaints about political advertising and promotional material used during the election campaign.

Questions:

Candidates must be qualified to vote, pay a deposit and be nominated by fifty enrolled voters who live in the electorate or by a registered officer of a registered political party. Also, they cannot have dual citizenship with another country or hold an office of profit under the crown eg public servant, teacher, policeman etc. Why is all this necessary?

What would be a good name, logo and slogan for a party representing you, or your school, or your area?

A "donkey vote" is where the voter numbers the candidates in the order in which they appear on the ballot paper. The random draw makes the order of appearance a matter of chance. What might otherwise happen? In some countries, where candidates are listed alphabetically, people have legally changed their names to things like Aaaaab!

Staff from the AEC are able to visit schools to explain these and other electoral processes. To contact your nearest Divisional Office call 13 23 26. What is a double random draw? Where else is a random draw used? The draw for sporting events and, of course, every type of lottery draw.

What sorts of things might not be allowed? What might happen if spending was unrestricted and political parties did not have to disclose where their funds came from?

Activities

• Design a poster or bumper sticker.
• Try a random draw (names in a hat) and see how many times you can draw your name out first.