Voter FAQs

Yes. If you are an Australian citizen aged 18 years or more, you are required to enrol and vote in federal, state and local government elections and by-elections. If you do not vote, you may receive a penalty notice.

You must vote at a venue in your enrolled council area (or ward if you live in a divided council area). You cannot vote at a venue in another area. Use the address lookup tool to find your council or ward.

To find a polling place (voting centre):

Details about when to vote at state and local government elections are published on each relevant election event page.

All candidates who have nominated for an election are published on our website following the ballot paper draw. You can find this information on each relevant election event page under the “Who are the candidates?” heading.

We also publish how-to-vote information if the candidate and/or their affiliated party have provided us with this information.

If you didn’t vote in an election you were eligible for in NSW, and you don’t have a valid reason, we will send you an ‘Apparent failure to vote notice’ in the post. The penalty for not voting in NSW is a $55 fine. You must respond within 28 days of the issue date of the notice. Read more information on the I didn’t vote page.

Under the Electoral Act 2017 it is an offence to vote more than once in the same election. Schedule 6 to the Act also provides for the Electoral Commissioner to declare a person reasonably suspected of being a multiple voter to be a ‘special elector’ and be noted as such on any authorised roll or list of electors. 

Following an election, the authorised printed rolls are scanned to identify people who voted, those who appeared not to have voted and anyone who appeared to have voted more than once on election day. Comparisons are then made against electors’ names that were marked off the electronic roll (used at early voting centres). Analysis is carried out to identify those electors who may have voted using various early voting channels and perhaps also voted on election day. 

Learn more about multiple voting

To find your electorate, enter your home address (do not include apartment/unit numbers) in the Find my electorate tool to check which state district, council and ward you are enrolled in.

Select your address from the dropdown and press ‘Find’. For state elections, select your state district. For local government elections, select your ward.

The 2024 NSW Local Government elections will be held on Saturday, 14 September 2024. View information on key dates, where and how to vote, and more.

You can sign up to our free election reminder service to receive SMS and/or email reminders about upcoming state and local government elections.

The key dates for every election conducted by the NSW Electoral Commission are published on the election event page underneath the “What are the key dates?” heading.

You can also find voting centre opening times on each relevant election event page.

The ‘How voting works’ section of our website has information about voting in New South Wales elections.

We offer opportunities to work at state and local government elections. Work is available on election day and throughout the election period. This includes the weeks before and after election day.

Applications are encouraged from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disability and people who speak a language other than English.

Read more about working at an election.

To get in touch with us, visit our Contact us page.

Visit our Enrolment page to find out all about voting at elections in New South Wales.

You can check your enrolment details using the NSW Electoral Commission’s verify your enrolment service.

If your address or name has changed since the last election, you can change your details on the Australian Electoral Commission’s website.

Update your name or address

Yes, you still need to update your address.

To register to vote, you can either enrol online or download an enrolment form to complete and upload.

The online enrolment link will take you to the enrolment form on the Australian Electoral Commission’s website. By completing this form, you will be enrolled to vote in federal, state and local government elections.

We offer a range of voting options, including:

• voting on election day
• postal voting
• early voting (pre-poll voting)
• telephone assisted voting for voters who are blind or have low vision
• interstate or overseas voting options
• visits to declared institutions and facilities. 

Early voting (pre-poll) is available one week before election day. Out of area (absent) voting is not available at local council elections in NSW. You must vote in your local area or use an early voting option.

You can vote before election day at an early voting centre. Use the address lookup tool to identify your state electoral district or council area/ward and find your nearest early voting centre (polling place).

Read about the criteria for early voting.

We visit some nursing homes, convalescent homes, hospitals, and similar institutions to allow residents to vote from home before election day. Find out more about declared facilities.

Election day is Saturday, 14 September 2024. You can pre-poll vote before election day, from Saturday, 7 September in your council area or ward. Find your nearest pre-poll location using our address lookup tool. You can also vote by post. 

Applications for postal voting are open now and close 5pm Monday, 9 September 2024. 

If it appears you didn't vote at an election you were eligible for, you will receive an ‘Apparent failure to vote’ notice in the post. If you have a valid reason for not voting, you can respond to the notice. 

 Each response is assessed on a case-by-case basis. The notice has instructions to follow or you can read more about the process. 

Postal vote packs began distribution on Monday, 19 August 2024. If your postal vote pack does not arrive before election day, and you have not been able to vote in person during the early voting period or on election day, you may receive a failure to vote notice.

You will then have the opportunity to provide a response setting out a sufficient reason why you were unable to vote. 

Read more about the failure to vote process.

Eligibility for postal voting can be found on the postal voting section of our website.

Information about postal vote applications can be found on the postal voting section of our website.

No. Registered general postal voters are not required to make a separate postal vote application for each election. General postal voters will automatically receive their ballot papers for all federal, state and local government elections.

Watch a video on how to vote by post for local government elections.

Learn more about how to vote by post for state elections.

If you applied for a postal vote online or over the phone, you would have been asked to supply a security question and answer. The security question will be printed on your postal pack.

If you applied for a postal vote by paper form or if you are a general postal voter, you will not have a security question printed on your postal pack. Simply sign and date the declaration along with a witness.

If the postal vote pack/ballot paper/certificate is wet or waterlogged from rain, please let it dry and then fill it out and return it. 

• If the postal vote pack/ballot paper/certificate is ripped, please try to fix it with tape, fill it out and return it. 
• If the postal vote pack/ballot paper/certificate is damaged but still legible, please fill it out and return it. 
• If the postal vote pack/ballot paper/certificate are no longer legible, please call us on 1300 135 736. 
• If you have made a mistake, please cross out the mistake and clearly write out your correct preference/s.
• If the Reply Paid envelope is sealed shut or no longer usable, you can send your completed ballot papers and postal vote certificate back in a normal envelope using the following address: 

NSW Electoral Commissioner
Locked Bag 5051
Alexandria NSW 2015 

For your vote to be counted you must complete your ballot papers and postal vote certificate by 6pm Saturday, 14 September (election day). Your completed ballot papers and postal vote certificate must be received by the NSW Electoral Commission by 6pm Friday, 27 September 2024.  

If you need help casting your vote, you ask a friend, carer or family member to help you. If you are voting in-person, you can also for help from an election official at the voting centre (polling place).

Additionally, election officials can help you mark your ballot papers as you instruct or put your completed ballot papers into the ballot box for you. Election officials cannot tell you who to vote for.

For information on venue accessibility and for information in a language other than English, visit the Assistance for voters section of our website.

We provide information on our website about the accessibility of every voting centre to help you choose the best venue for your needs. This information is published closer to each election day via the relevant election event page.

Certain cardboard material, such as the ballot box, have bright contrast markings to assist voters with depth perception issues.

Additionally, all voting centres have handheld magnifying sheets and maxi pens. If you need either of these items, please ask an election official.

Please contact us through the National Relay Service (NRS) to discuss the services available to you. Choose your access option and ask for 1300 135 736.

Yes. You can view information on elections, enrolling and voting in the Information in your language section on our website.

If you need an interpreter, call TIS National on 131 450 and ask them to call the NSW Electoral Commission on 1300 135 736.