General information

Early and postal voting eligibility

An elector is eligible to cast an early vote or a postal vote, if the person: 

• is outside of New South Wales on election day, or
• is not throughout the hours of voting on election day within 8 kilometres of any voting centre, or
• is throughout the hours of voting on election day travelling under conditions that will preclude the person from voting at any voting centre, or
• is seriously ill or infirm, and by reason of such illness or infirmity will be precluded from attending at any voting centre to vote, or
• in approaching maternity and will be precluded from attending at any voting centre to vote, or
• is, at a place other than a hospital, caring for a person who is seriously ill or infirm or approaching maternity and by reason of caring for the person will be precluded from attending at any voting centre to vote, or
• is, by reason of the person’s membership of a religious order or his or her religious beliefs precluded from attending a voting centre or attending voting throughout the hours of voting, or
• is, by reason of his or her being kept in a correctional centre precluded from attending at any voting centre to vote, or
• will be working throughout the hours of voting on election day, or
• is a silent elector, or
• is a person with a disability (within the meaning of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977), or
• believes that attending a voting centre on election day will place the personal safety of the person or of members of the person’s family at risk.

Postal voting

Eligible electors may apply for a postal vote online.

For electors with access to the internet, this is the most efficient way to apply for a postal vote. Electors may also contact our call centre on 1300 135 736 and have a call centre operator complete an online application on their behalf.

Election managers do not process postal vote applications.

Postal vote application forms are available from:

• elections.nsw.gov.au or
• the Elector Enquiry Centre by phoning 1300 135 736.

Postal vote applications must be completed and received no later than 6pm on the Monday prior to election day.

For the 2024 Epping, Hornsby and Pittwater State by-elections, that is by 6pm Monday, 14 October 2024.

The issuing of postal ballot papers will commence approximately two weeks prior to election day.

Candidates or political parties intending to distribute postal vote applications to electors must use the approved form of the application. You can request a copy by emailing candidates@elections.nsw.gov.au

The approved form contains a placeholder to include electoral material. The content of the approved form of application supplied by the NSW Electoral Commission must not be altered. If you intend to distribute postal vote applications that include your electoral material, we recommend you provide a copy of your artwork for review prior to printing, so that any issues of non-compliance with legislative requirements may be identified by the NSW Electoral Commission.

Political participants must clearly identify if the postal vote application will not be lodged directly with the NSW Electoral Commission and if information disclosed by an applicant in the postal vote application is being collected by the political participant.

A reply-paid envelope provided with the postal vote applications should not be designed to give the appearance that it is being sent directly to the NSW Electoral Commission when, in fact, the envelope is to be sent elsewhere.

It is important that all completed postal vote applications are returned as soon as possible to the NSW Electoral Commission. This will assist in ensuring that applications are processed and ballot papers are distributed to electors in a timely manner.

Registered general postal voters

It should be noted that registered general postal voters are not required to make a separate postal vote application and will automatically receive their ballot papers for all federal, state and local government elections.

Return of postal votes

Postal vote certificates must be signed by the elector and a witness before 6pm on election day.

Completed postal votes must be received by the following dates:

For the 2024 Epping, Hornsby and Pittwater State by-elections, the election day is Saturday, 19 October 2024 and the 13^th day following the election day is Friday, 1 November 2024.

Postal vote scrutiny

Initial scrutiny of postal vote certificates includes examination of the postal vote certificate and data entry of this information to determine if the accompanying ballot papers are to be accepted for further scrutiny. Scrutineers may be present.

If accepted, election officials will remove the ballot papers and prepare the ballot papers for counting without examining the vote on those ballot papers. The initial count of postal ballot papers will not commence until 6pm on election day.

Early voting

Early voting will be available 7 days before the election day. Days and times will vary for each early voting centre. There will be at least one early voting centre appointed in each district. Some early voting centres may be appointed as early voting centres for multiple districts. This will allow the early voting centre to issue ordinary votes for a neighbouring district.

For the 2024 Epping, Hornsby and Pittwater State by-elections, the early voting period is Saturday, 12 October 2024 to Friday, 18 October 2024. The location and operating hours of the early voting centres will be available from the NSW Electoral Commission website.

Interstate early voting

Electors who will be interstate on election day may be able to vote at an early voting centre located in capital cities. Venues and opening times will be published on the NSW Electoral Commission website. 

Declared facility voting

The Electoral Commissioner may declare that a hospital, nursing home, retirement village or similar facility is to be an early voting centre for the purpose of electors resident in the facility to vote. Election officials from the Election Manager’s office in the district will visit the facility during the five day period prior to election day.

Ordinary voting is available for electors who are enrolled within the electoral district in which the facility is located. Electors enrolled in other electoral districts, or who are casting a provisional vote, will be required to complete a declaration vote and place their ballot papers in a declaration envelope.

Details of the declared facilities can be obtained from the Election Manager in each district. The Election Manager will advise the days and times of visits so that candidates may appoint a scrutineer to be present when voting takes place.

No electoral material can be distributed by scrutineers at any time during this visit. The Election Manager will prepare a folder of registered how-to-vote electoral material containing one item provided by each candidate, registered political party or other person or organisation so that electors can view this material when voting. This material will be available for inspection by electors and scrutineers at each declared facility.

Telephone-assisted voting

Telephone voting is available to electors who are blind or have low vision. Telephone voting enables eligible electors to cast an operator-assisted telephone vote.

Eligible electors must firstly call the Telephone Voting application call centre to apply, declaring to a call centre operator who is an election official that they are eligible to cast this type of vote. Electors nominate a PIN and are issued an application number, by email or SMS.

The elector will be transferred to a different election official at a separate telephone voting call centre, or the elector can choose to call back if they wish. The operator will ask the elector for their application number and PIN to identify their district (the call will be transferred to another operator if the elector identifies themselves). The ballot paper is read to the elector, the operator marks the ballot paper, confirms the electors preferences, then places the ballot paper in the ballot box. Another election official will listen to the call and observe the operator complete the voting process, ensuring the elector’s vote is correctly recorded on the ballot paper and then placed in the ballot box.

For the 2024 Epping, Hornsby and Pittwater State by-elections:

• Applications to use telephone voting are open from Saturday, 12 October until 6pm Friday 18 October 2024. 
• Voting by telephone voting is available from Saturday, 12 October until 1pm Saturday, 19 October 2024 to electors who have successfully applied during the application period and been issued with an application number.

Election day voting

Voting centres will be open on election day from 8am until 6pm. Voting centre locations will be listed on the NSW Electoral Commission website.

An elector may vote at any voting centre.

Declaration voting

Electors who are not in their district, not included on the authorised roll, or who wish to update their enrolment may still be able to cast a vote at early voting or on the election day, if they meet certain criteria. These electors will be required to complete a written declaration on an envelope, their ballot paper will be placed in this envelope before being placed in a ballot box. 

The types of declaration votes are:

Declaration vote envelopes undergo scrutiny to determine that the elector is eligible to vote and the ballot papers are to be included in the count. Scrutineers may be present. The locations and times of declaration vote scrutiny will be available from the NSW Electoral Commission website.