The ACT election at a glance

When is the election?

The election for 25 Members of the
ACT Legislative Assembly is being held on Saturday 15 October 2016.
Polling places will be open from
8 am until 6 pm.

Do you have to vote?

Voting in this election is compulsory if you’re on the electoral roll for an ACT address and you are 18 or over. If you don’t vote you may be fined.

Why is voting important?

The Legislative Assembly has the power to make laws and form a government for the ACT. By voting in this election you have an opportunity to choose who will represent you in the Assembly. When you vote, it is your chance to have your voice heard.

Voting on polling day

The easiest way to vote is to go to your nearest polling place (see the lists on pages 7-11 of this booklet). All polling places are open from 8 am to 6 pm. You don’t have to go to a polling place in your own electorate.

Assistance with voting

Polling officials are there to help you. If you have any difficulty with voting, or if you need help to fill in your ballot paper, just ask. If you prefer, you can ask a friend, relative or a candidate’s scrutineer to help you. If you make a mistake on your ballot paper, just take it back to the polling official who gave it to you and ask for another.

Polling places with suitable access for people with a disability are marked with the symbol ( ) in the lists on pages 7-11 of this booklet. Polling place staff will be happy to provide any assistance you need.

About your ballot paper

A feature of the ACT electoral system is the Robson rotation method of rotating the positions of candidates within each column on the ballot paper.

Candidates’ names are printed in different positions within a column on each ballot paper. The order of the names on your ballot paper may be different from the order on the ballot paper given to the voter next to you. This means that no candidate has the advantage of appearing in the top position on every ballot paper.

By combining Robson rotation with the ban on canvassing within 100 metres of a polling place, the ACT electoral system places in your hands the opportunity to consider each candidate and vote for candidates by name in the order of your choice.

This illustration demonstrates the Robson rotation method of printing candidate names in different orders.

How to fill in your ballot paper

To record a valid vote, write the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and so on, in the candidate squares in the order of your choice. Don’t use the same number twice.

Remember, use numbers only! One of the most common mistakes is for people to use ticks and crosses on their ballot papers. This means that their vote cannot be counted.

You should fill in at least 5 squares as there are
5 vacancies in each electorate

If you don’t fill in this many squares, your vote will still be counted even if you vote for only one candidate. However, to make the most of your vote, you can continue to fill in the squares until all your preferences are recorded. You may fill in every square if you wish.

If you don’t vote for any candidates, your vote will be informal.

If you make a mistake on your ballot paper, just return it to a polling official and ask for another.

Electronic voting

Electors at certain polling places will
have the option of voting electronically. Electronic voting will be available on polling day at the following 6 polling places:

Belconnen

Belconnen Community Centre,
Swanson Court

Canberra City

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

Gungahlin

Gungahlin Library, Hibberson St

Tuggeranong

Salvation Army Hall,
Corner Anketell St and Reed St North

Woden/Phillip

Callam Offices, 58 Easty St

At polling places where electronic voting is available it will also be possible to vote using a traditional paper ballot if you prefer. Just ask for a paper ballot.

Votes cast electronically will be stored securely and combined with the results from paper ballots.

Key steps in the electronic voting process

If you 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 voting screen.

When you scan your barcode you will see a ballot paper for your electorate on the screen.

By using direction keys on a key pad you can move to any candidate.

As you SELECT the candidates you wish to vote for, preference numbers will be automatically listed for you, starting with your first preference.

When you have completed your selection and pressed the FINISH key, you will be able to see a list of the candidates you have chosen in the order you have ranked them.

If you wish to change your selection you can simply go back and correct it.

If you are happy with your selection, scan your barcode a second time and your vote will be securely recorded.

The barcode must be deposited in the ballot box as you leave the polling place. Each barcode can be used only once.

Special audio facilities will be available to enable electors who are blind or vision impaired to vote electronically in secret and in private. Electronic voting instructions will also be available in a number of community languages.

Further information about electronic voting is available at www.elections.act.gov.au

How the votes are counted

Your vote is counted according to the preferences you indicate on your ballot paper. First preference (number 1) votes are counted first then your later preferences (numbers 2, 3, 4, 5 and so on) are counted as described below.

To be certain of election under the Hare–Clark system, a candidate must obtain a set proportion (or quota) of the votes for his or her electorate. Any candidate whose votes equal or exceed a quota is elected.

A quota is calculated using the following formula:

The quota in each 5 Member electorate is one sixth plus one, or roughly 16.67% of the valid votes.

A candidate may reach the quota simply by receiving first preference (number 1) votes, or by receiving a combination of first preference votes and votes transferred from other candidates who have been elected or excluded.

If a candidate has more votes than the quota and not all vacancies have been filled, the surplus votes of that candidate are distributed to other candidates according to the preferences indicated on those ballot papers.

If, after all the surplus votes have been distributed, vacancies remain to be filled, the candidate with the fewest total votes is “excluded” and his or her ballot papers are distributed to continuing candidates according to the preferences shown by voters.

After ballot papers are distributed from an excluded candidate, the total votes for each continuing candidate are recalculated to determine whether any candidate has now received votes equal to or greater than the quota. The process of distributing surplus votes from elected candidates and excluding the candidate with the fewest votes continues until all vacancies are filled.

No how-to-vote cards at polling places

Remember that political canvassing, including distributing how–to–vote cards, is banned within 100 metres of a polling place.

This means that you need to plan in advance how you want to vote.

What your ballot paper will look like

Sample ballot papers are shown on pages 7-11. While the party columns won’t change, remember, under Robson rotation candidates’ names can appear in different positions within each column.

Please read the instructions on the ballot paper carefully. Write numbers in the squares – no ticks or crosses – and don’t repeat any number.

Brindabella polling places

Open 8am to 6pm

Your local polling place may have changed. Check this list carefully.

Ginninderra polling places

Open 8am to 6pm.

Your local polling place may have changed. Check this list carefully.

Kurrajong polling places

Open 8am to 6pm.

Your local polling place may have changed. Check this list carefully.

Murrumbidgee polling places

Open 8am to 6pm.

Your local polling place may have changed. Check this list carefully.

Yerrabi polling places

Open 8am to 6pm.

Your local polling place may have changed. Check this list carefully.