Voting before and on election day
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On this page
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.
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.
All postal vote applications will be processed through a Centralised Postal Vote Count Centre located in Sydney. Returning Officers do not process postal vote applications.
An elector may apply for a postal vote if they meet certain eligibility criteria. This criteria is available on the NSW Electoral Commission’s website.
Postal vote application forms are available from:
- elections.nsw.gov.au or
- the Elector Enquiry Centre by phoning 1300 135 736 or
- the Returning Officer’s office.
Postal vote applications must be completed and received no later than 5pm on the Monday prior to election day.
The issuing of postal ballot papers will commence approximately three 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
Eligible electors can apply to the Australian Electoral Commission prior to the close of rolls to be registered as a general postal voter.
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:
|
Delivery method |
Deadline |
|---|---|
|
Posted or hand delivered to CPVCC or NSW Electoral Commission head office |
By 6pm on the 13th day following election day |
|
Hand delivered to a voting centre |
By 6pm on election day |
| Hand delivered to an Returning Officer’s office | By 6pm on the 13th day following election day |
Postal vote scrutiny
Initial scrutiny of postal vote certificates will be conducted at the Centralised Postal Vote Count Centre. Initial scrutiny will include 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.
Pre-poll voting
Pre-poll voting will commence one week before election day at a number of pre-poll venues across New South Wales for eligible electors. Eligibility criteria is available on the NSW Electoral Commission’s website elections.nsw.gov.au. Electors must vote in their enrolled council area. There will be at least one pre-poll venue appointed in each council area.
The details of the pre-poll voting locations and times of operation will be available at elections.nsw.gov.au.
Declaration voting
Electors who are not in their district, not included on the authorised roll, who wish to update their enrolment, or who are marked on the roll as having already voted may still be able to cast a vote, 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 type |
Category |
|---|---|
|
Enrolment vote/name not on roll |
Issued to:
*Note: A NSW driver licence or photo card must be provided in order to cast these declaration votes. |
|
Name already marked as voted |
Isued to an elector who has already been marked as having voted but claim not to have voted. |
All declaration vote envelopes will undergo scrutiny at the Returning Officer’s Office or the Centralised Declaration Vote Count Centre (CDVCC), to determine that the elector is eligible to vote and the ballot papers are to be included in the count. Scrutineers may be present.
Declared institution 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 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.
Details of the declared facilities can be obtained from the Returning Officer in each district, who 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 Returning Officer will prepare a folder of registered how-to-vote electoral material containing one item provided by each candidate, group, registered political party or other person or organisation so that electors can view this material when voting.
Telephone assisted voting
Telephone voting is only available to eligible 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.
Election day voting
Polling places will be open on election day from 8am until 6pm. Locations of polling places will be listed at elections.nsw.gov.au as well as projected votes by polling place.
There is no absent voting at local council elections. On election day an elector can only vote at the following polling places:
- undivided council area – at any polling place within the council area in which the elector is enrolled or claiming enrolment
- multi-council – polling places that are located on or near the boundary between two or more council areas may issue votes for more than one council area
- council area with wards – at any polling place within the ward in which the elector is enrolled or claiming enrolment and
- multi-ward – polling places that are located on or near the boundary between two or more wards in a council area may issue votes for all those wards.