How the House of Representatives votes are counted

A House of Representatives candidate is elected if they gain an absolute majority – more than 50% – of the formal vote.

First, all of the number '1' votes are counted for each candidate. If a candidate gets more than half the total first preference votes, that candidate will be elected.

However, if no candidate has more than half of the votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is excluded. This candidate's votes are transferred to the other candidates according to the second preferences shown by voters on the ballot papers for the excluded candidate. If still no candidate has more than half the votes, the candidate who now has the fewest votes is excluded and the votes are transferred according to the next preference shown. This process continues until one candidate has more than half the total votes and is declared elected.

A distribution of preferences takes place in every division, even where a candidate already has an absolute majority of first preference votes. The result of this full distribution of preferences is used to calculate the two-party-preferred (TPP) statistics for divisions that have the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and Coalition representatives as the final two candidates.

In divisions that do not have the ALP and Coalition representatives as the final two candidates, a scrutiny for information is conducted to determine the TPP result. A scrutiny for information, in such cases, is a notional distribution of preferences to find the result of preference flows to the ALP and Coalition candidates.

Example of a distribution of preferences: Division of Lowe

Total Formal Vote: 49 805
Absolute Majority (50%+1): 24 903

	Armitage (Liberal Party)		Buchanan (Independent)		Hewson (Country Party)		Houlihan (DLP)		Mountford (ALP)
Count	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Total
First	12 025	24.14	3 113	6.25	8 282	16.63	3 583	7.19	22 802	45.78	49 805
Second Total	810 12 835	1.63 25.77	Excluded		1 980 10 262	3.98 20.60	138 3 721	0.28 7.47	185 22 987	0.37 46.15	3 113 49 805
Third Total	391 13 226	0.79 26.56			3 144 13 406	6.31 26.92	Excluded		186 23 173	0.37 46.53	3 721 49 805
Fourth Total	Excluded				12 690 26 096	25.48 52.40			536 23 709	1.08 47.60	13 226 49 805
					Elected

Declaration of the poll

The result of the House of Representatives election is formally announced by the DRO as soon as it is known in a public ceremony known as the 'declaration of the poll'.