On Saturday 15 October 2016, there will be a general election of 25 Members of the ACT Legislative Assembly. The Legislative Assembly has the power to make laws and form a government to administer the ACT. With your vote you have your chance to have your voice heard.

Are you enrolled?

Are you correctly enrolled to vote? If you are 18 or over, an Australian citizen (or a British subject who was on the electoral roll on 25 January 1984) and you live in the ACT, you can vote in this election. In fact, voting is compulsory. But first you have to be on the electoral roll.

You can enrol online via the Elections ACT website or pick up a form at any post office or electoral office.

If you have changed your address and haven’t updated your enrolment, or if you’ve recently turned 18 and haven’t yet enrolled, please do it now.

Not sure if you’re correctly enrolled? You can check on-line at www.elections.act.gov.au or call
(02) 6205 0033.

Electoral rolls close on
16 September 2016

Which electorate are you in?

For the first time, the ACT will be divided into
5 electorates each returning 5 Members to the Legislative Assembly. The electorates are:

Brindabella

Including Tuggeranong (excluding Kambah), Tharwa and the southern remainder of the ACT.

Ginninderra

Including Belconnen (excluding Evatt, Giralang,
Kaleen, Lawson and McKellar).

Kurrajong

Including Canberra Central, Jerrabomberra, Kowen
and Majura.

Murrumbidgee

Including Kambah, Molonglo Valley, Weston Creek, Woden Valley, Stromlo and Uriarra Village.

Yerrabi

Including Gungahlin, Hall and the Belconnen suburbs of Evatt, Giralang, Kaleen, Lawson and McKellar.

Electoral system in the ACT

You will vote using the Hare-Clark proportional representation system chosen by ACT voters in 1992.

To be elected under this system, a candidate must receive a set number of votes (this is called a quota – around 16.67% of the votes). First preference votes marked by voters are counted first, then second, third and later preferences are counted as needed to elect the candidates most preferred by voters, until all seats for that electorate are filled.

Your ballot paper

An important feature of ACT elections is the “Robson rotation” method of listing the names of candidates within columns on a ballot paper in several different orders.

Robson rotation gives each candidate an equal share of each position in a column. This allows voters to choose which candidates they want to represent them in an order of their own choosing.

This means that the order of candidates listed on the ballot paper you receive may be different from sample ballot papers, published lists or how-to-vote cards you have seen.

Write numbers and make your vote count

When you vote in the election for the ACT Legislative Assembly, make sure your vote counts.

To record a valid vote, write the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and so on in the squares in the order of your choice – no ticks or crosses. Be careful not to use the same number twice.

You should fill in at least five squares as there are five vacancies in each electorate. But, to make sure that you get the maximum value from your vote, you can continue to fill in the squares, until all your preferences are recorded.

Electronic voting

At the 2016 Legislative Assembly election, electronic voting will again be available in certain polling places in the ACT.

If you choose to vote electronically you will be issued with a barcode instead of a ballot paper. This barcode will give you secure access to an easy-to-use screen with instructions on how to record your vote.
See the ACT Electoral Commission’s website at: www.elections.act.gov.au for more information on electronic voting.

Electronic voting will be available at the six pre-poll voting centres in Belconnen, Canberra City, Gungahlin, Tuggeranong and Woden from Tuesday 27 September until polling day.

Voting before polling day

If you won’t be able to get to a polling place on polling day, there are a number of other ways you can vote.

Pre-poll voting

From Tuesday 27 September you can cast a pre-poll vote at one of the following centres:

Belconnen

Belconnen Community Centre,
Swanson Court

Canberra City

Pilgrim House, 69 Northbourne Avenue
Eclipse House, 197 London Circuit

Gungahlin

Gungahlin Library, Hibberson  Street

Tuggeranong

Salvation Army Hall,
Corner Anketell St and Reed St North

Woden/Phillip

Callam Offices, 58 Easty St

These centres are open:

• from 9am to 5pm each weekday, except the public holiday, Monday 3 October;
• from 9am to 5pm on Saturday 8 October; and
• from 9am to 8pm on Friday 14 October.

Pre-poll voting will also be available at the capital city office of each state and Northern Territory electoral commission during business hours.

Postal voting

If you won’t be able to get to a polling place or a pre-poll voting centre, you should apply for a postal vote.

You can apply:

• on-line at www.elections.act.gov.au
• by calling Elections ACT on (02) 6205 0033
• by completing an application form available from any ACT post office, electoral office or Access Canberra.

Mobile polling

If you are a patient in a hospital, a resident of a nursing home or a detainee at the Alexander Maconochie Centre, you may be visited by a mobile polling team during the week before polling day.

Contact your hospital, nursing home or prison for details, or phone Elections ACT on (02) 6205 0033.

Plan how you want to vote in advance

Remember that distributing how-to-vote cards or any other political canvassing is banned within 100 metres of a polling place. This means you need to plan how you’re going to vote before you arrive at the polling place.

Voting on polling day

On polling day, Saturday 15 October, there will be 81 polling places open across the ACT from 8am to 6pm. Locations of polling places are listed on the Elections ACT website. Locations will also be listed in the “Election Guide” delivered to all ACT households in the week before the election and in the Canberra Times on polling day.

More information

You can visit the Elections ACT website atwww.elections.act.gov.au, call Elections ACT on (02) 6205 0033 or email elections@act.gov.au

Further electoral information will be distributed to all Canberra households prior to the election.

Elections ACT is committed to making its information, services, events and venues as accessible to as many people as possible.

Translating and interpreting service

Alternative format

If you have difficulty reading a standard printed document and would like to receive this publication in an alternative format – such as large print or audio – please phone (02) 6205 0033.

National Relay Service

If you are deaf, or have a hearing impairment or speech impairment, you can contact Elections ACT through the National Relay Service (NRS) - call 13 36 77 and then ask for (02) 6205 0033. For more information, visit www.relayservice.gov.au

ACT Deafness Resource Centre for the deaf and hearing impaired please phone (02) 6287 4391, (02) 6287 4393,TTY (02) 6287 4394.

Authorised by Phillip Green, ACT Electoral Commission. 197 London Circuit CANBERRA CITY ACT