What happens next?

If you have submitted your application for a postal vote, the AEC will send your ballot paper to the postal address you have provided.

What If I haven’t received my postal vote?

Postal vote packs are sent using Australia Post’s Priority Delivery Service. The estimated date of delivery for your postal vote pack is based on the maximum delivery time to your location, based on Australia Post’s ‘Priority Delivery’ standard-services timetable.

Please note that once postal vote packs are lodged with Australia Post, the AEC has no capacity to monitor the progress of their delivery.

Submitting your ballot papers

Ballot papers must be completed and witnessed on or before election day Saturday 18 May 2019 , and posted back to the AEC as soon as possible.

You only have 13 days after the federal election for your ballot papers to be received by the AEC.

Who can be an authorised witness for a postal vote?

In accordance with s.193 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, an authorised witness for postal voting may be:

• An elector whose name appears on the Electoral Roll
• Outside Australia, the following persons are authorised witnesses:
  • an officer of the Defence Force or of the naval, military or air forces of a Commonwealth country,
  • a person appointed or engaged under the Public Service Act 1999,
  • a member of the civil or public service of a State or Territory or of a Commonwealth country,
  • a Justice of the Peace for a State or Territory or a Commonwealth country,
  • a minister of religion or medical practitioner resident in a State or Territory or a Commonwealth country,
  • an Australian citizen.

If you are unable to find one of these people, please see the information in your postal voting guide for further instructions.

What if I am a general postal voter or a silent elector?

If you are a registered general postal voter, you will automatically receive a postal vote pack in the mail.

If you are registered as a silent elector, and you are not a general postal voter, you can vote in person at an early voting centre or on election day.