2008 ACT Legislative Assembly Election

The next election for the ACT Legislative Assembly is due to be held on Saturday 18 October 2008.

If you are on the electoral roll for an ACT address and you are 18 or over, voting is compulsory. You may be fined if you do not vote.

The easiest way to vote is to go to your nearest polling place. All polling places are open from 8am to 6pm. You do not have to go to a polling place in your own electorate.

A list of all polling places will be published in the Canberra Times on polling day and in a booklet being delivered to all households before the election.

In most cases the polling places being used are the same as those used at the last federal election.

If you cannot get to a polling place on election day, you can cast a pre-poll vote at one of our pre-poll voting centres.

Pre-poll voting centres are open during the three weeks prior to polling day and are located in each of the five main business centres in the ACT:

• Belconnen
• Civic
• Gungahlin
• Tuggeranong
• Woden

You can also cast a pre-poll vote at the capital city office of any State or Northern Territory electoral commission. Pre-poll voting is also available at the Australian Electoral Commission Divisional offices of Gilmore, Hume and Riverina. For the addresses of any of these pre-poll voting centres follow this link.

Postal voting is another method of casting a vote if you cannot make it to a polling place on election day or to a pre-poll voting centre in the ACT before election day.

If you will be overseas on polling day you can:

• cast a pre-poll vote before you leave; or
• apply for a postal vote

If you are leaving for overseas after ballot papers are available (prior to 29 September 2008), pre-poll and postal voting are both options available to you.

If you are already overseas by the time pre-polling commences, the only option for you is postal voting. You can apply for a postal vote online from this site, call the ACT Electoral Commission and apply over the phone or visit an Australian missions overseas. Australian missions will have access to postal vote applications for the election. Australian missions will not be supplied with ballot papers.

The ACT Electoral Commission maintains its own casual staff register. If you would like to apply to be placed on this register and be in contention for casual work on or around election day, please contact the Electoral Commission and ask for an application form to be sent to you.

ACT Legislative Assembly elections use the Hare-Clark electoral system. To record a valid vote, write consecutive numbers, for example 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and so on, in the squares on your ballot paper in the order of your choice. Voters should mark at least as many squares as there are vacancies, but may continue to number as many squares as they wish.

No ticks or crosses and do not use the same number twice anywhere on the ballot paper.

Your ballot paper will have instructions written at the top. These should assist you to complete a valid vote. If you are still unsure, you can ask a polling official for assistance.

Voting is not available over the Internet.

However casting a vote using a computer is available at all pre-poll voting centres. These centres will also be open on election day.

There are three electorates for the ACT Legislative Assembly - Brindabella, Ginninderra and Molonglo.

Brindabella is a five member electorate comprising the district of Tuggeranong (excluding the suburb of Hume), the Woden Valley suburbs of Chifley, Pearce, Torrens and Farrer and the southern remainder of the ACT.

Ginninderra is a five member electorate comprising the districts of Belconnen and Hall (including the entire Village of Hall) and the Gungahlin suburb of Nicholls.

Molonglo is a seven member electorate comprising the districts of Gungahlin (excluding the suburb of Nicholls), Canberra Central, Weston Creek, Woden Valley (excluding the suburbs of Chifley, Pearce, Torrens and Farrer), Jerrabomberra (including the entire suburb of Hume), Kowen, Majura, and Stromlo.

If you are unsure if you are correctly enrolled, you can check your enrolment details or contact the Electoral Commission.

In the week before polling day, mobile polling staff visit most of the ACT's hospitals and nursing homes, as well as the Symonston Remand Centre and the Alexander Maconochie Centre so that anyone residing in these institutions is able to vote.

If you are in the ACT on polling day you can vote at any polling place.

If you are not in the ACT on polling day but will be here in the pre-poll voting period you may cast a pre-poll vote.

If you are interstate during the pre-poll voting period you may vote at the capital city office of any State or Northern Territory electoral commission. Pre-poll voting is also available at the Australian Electoral Commission Divisional offices of Gilmore, Hume and Riverina. For the addresses of any of these pre-poll voting centres follow this link.

Otherwise, you should apply for a postal vote.

If any of your personal details have changed since you last enrolled, you will need to complete a new enrolment form. Enrolment forms can be obtained from all Australia Post offices as well as all state, territory and federal electoral offices. Forms can also be downloaded from the Australian Electoral Commission's website.

If at election time, you are still on the roll for your old address (if it is in the ACT) then you must vote for that address, which you can do at any polling place.

If you do not vote you will receive a letter asking for an explanation. If you have a valid reason you will not be fined.

If you do not have a valid reason, you will be given the opportunity of paying a $20 penalty. If you do not pay the penalty you may be taken to court, where the penalty is $50 plus court costs.

This depends on the number of candidates, but the final result is expected around 2 to 3 weeks after polling day. Preliminary results are available on election night.

More details on the 18 October 2008 election may be obtained by contacting the ACT Electoral Commission.