Postal voting

You can apply for a postal vote if on voting day you:

• are outside the division where you are enrolled to vote
• are more than 8km from a polling place
• are travelling
• are unable to leave your workplace to vote
• are seriously ill, infirm, or due to give birth shortly (or caring for someone who is)
• are a patient in hospital and can't vote at the hospital
• have religious beliefs that prevent you from attending a polling place
• are in prison serving a sentence of less than three years or otherwise detained
• are a silent elector
• have a reasonable fear for your safety.

You can also apply for a postal vote using the paper postal vote application form by downloading the application. Once you have filled out and signed the application, we recommend that you email it to the AEC via applications@pva.aec.gov.au.

Alternatively you can call 13 23 26 and request that a paper postal vote application be mailed to you. Please allow 2 – 6 business days for the application to arrive.

If you are a registered general postal voter, you will automatically receive a postal vote pack in the mail after the close of rolls. You do not need to re-apply for a postal vote for future elections or referendums.

Note: If your postal address has changed or you have been affected by events such as natural disasters, you can update your postal address via the online enrolment form or you can contact us.

Silent electors

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

The online postal vote application system has strict security measures in place to protect your personal information. The AEC also has authentication procedures in place to verify that the person who applied for the postal vote is the same person who completed the postal vote.

Political parties and other organisations may have sent you a postal vote application which contains their branding, logo or other materials. Political parties and other organisations are allowed to send postal vote applications to households. 

You don’t have to use the postal vote application sent to you by a political party or other organisation. If you prefer, you can directly apply for a postal vote through the AEC by using the AEC’s online form.

If you decide to use the form sent to you, the party/organisation must forward your form to the AEC for processing. The AEC has no control over what political or other organisations do with the personal information you provide on your application form before they forward it to the AEC.

You can also choose to return the paper form directly to the AEC by using one of the following options:

• Email your form to applications@pva.aec.gov.au.
• Fax your form to 02 8009 0814.
• Or post your form to:

Australian Electoral Commission
Reply Paid 9988
[Your capital city] [Your state]
(No stamp is needed if posted in Australia)

If you need to cancel your application you can do so via the button at the top of the page.  

Please note that once the AEC has received and processed your application, you cannot cancel your application. You will be advised if your cancellation request was successful or not.

You can either reapply for a postal vote (if the postal address has changed) or, if you have decided to vote in person, bring your uncompleted postal vote to the polling place you attend.

You can check its status online. You will need your receipt number which was provided to you during the application process or sent to you if you completed a paper form. If you have forgotten your receipt number you can use your email address or mobile phone number you listed on your application to be sent your receipt number.

If you opted to receive notifications about the progress of your application, you will receive notifications via email or SMS (if you submitted these details).

Please note that the AEC is unable to provide delivery tracking information once your postal vote pack has been handed to Australia Post.

The AEC will send your postal vote pack, which includes your ballot paper, to you by Priority Post through Australia Post.

If you have received a text message saying that your ballot paper has been delivered to Australia Post, it simply means that we have lodged your postal vote pack with Australia Post and they will now deliver it to you.

Your ballot paper will be delivered to the address you requested. Please allow at least a few days for ballot paper to reach you by mail, especially if you are in a regional or remote location or are overseas.

Please note that the AEC is unable to provide delivery tracking information once your postal vote pack has been handed to Australia Post.

Your postal vote pack will contain:

• a postal vote certificate,
• a buff-coloured referendum ballot paper attached to the postal vote certificate (your vote)
• a “Getting help to complete your postal vote / How to complete your overseas postal vote” pamphlet and,
• a white return envelope.

Look for the folded piece of paper that has ‘POSTAL VOTE CERTFICATE’ written on it.

The How to ensure your postal vote is counted pamphlet will assist you and your witness on how to complete your postal vote certificate. You can also use the QR code on your postal vote certificate to watch a video on how to complete your postal vote.

Your witness needs to be enrolled to vote for the referendum. A witness can be anyone who knows you, including a family member, a friend, or a neighbour. Your witness will make sure you fill out your own ballot paper – this is one of the ways the AEC makes sure that postal voting is secure.

If you are outside Australia, other acceptable witnesses include:

• 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 overseas and still cannot find a witness, please visit www.aec.gov.au/pva or refer to the How to complete your overseas postal vote pamphlet for instructions on what to do.

A white return envelope is included in your postal vote pack which should be used to return your postal vote to the AEC. This return envelope will hide your personal details on the postal vote certificate while it’s on its way back to us.

It is important to follow the instructions on how to insert your postal vote certificate and ballot paper inside the return envelope. You can use the QR code on your postal vote certificate to watch a video on how to complete your postal vote. This video includes how to put the certificate inside the return envelope.

You must complete your postal vote on or before voting day. Remember that both you and your witness must sign the declaration part on your postal vote certificate by 6pm on voting day.

Make sure you return your postal vote as soon as possible. We need to receive your postal vote by the 13th day after the referendum voting day to include it in the count.

You may also return it by hand:

• To a polling place in Australia before 6pm on voting day .
• To any AEC office before or after voting day. Locate or contact your local AEC office here.

If you are overseas, you can find your nearest return address by searching your location at www.aec.gov.au/overseas.

If the ballot paper and certificate are still usable, you can sticky tape the damaged sections back together and proceed with completing your postal vote. If we can still read it, we will count your vote. Please do not use staples or clips as they may damage our letter opening machines.

Please contact the AEC on 13 23 26 or view your alternative voting options if the materials are:

• significantly damaged
• wet and totally unusable
• significantly torn and unrepairable, or
• not usable.

In accordance with s.193 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, an authorised witness for overseas 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 How to complete your overseas postal vote pamphlet for further instructions.

To check your in-person voting options, search for your nearest overseas voting centre at www.aec.gov.au/overseas.