Restrictions on political canvassing within 100 metres of polling places
At ACT elections, all political canvassing, including distributing how-to-vote cards and election posters, is banned within 100 metres of all pre-poll centres and polling places. This means that you will need to plan in advance how you want to vote before you arrive at your polling place.
Section 303 of the ACT’s Electoral Act provides that a person shall not, during polling hours within 100 metres of a polling place or pre-poll voting centre:
- do anything for the purpose of influencing the vote of an elector as the elector is approaching, or while the elector is at, the polling place; or
- do anything for the purpose of inducing an elector not to vote as the elector is approaching, or while the elector is at, the polling place; or
- exhibit a notice containing electoral matter that is able to be clearly seen by electors approaching, or at, the polling place, other than a notice authorised by the commissioner for display there.
The 100 metre zone around each polling place is measured from the edges of the building containing the polling place.
To assist candidates and political parties, Elections ACT prepared maps, using Google Maps software, of the pre-poll and polling day voting centres for the 2012 election, showing the location of the 100 metre zones.
