Apparent failure to vote

Apparent failure to vote notices for the 2024 ACT Legislative Assembly election have recently been posted/emailed to electors who appear to have failed to vote. These notices provide electors with the opportunity to respond in one of three ways:

• If they did vote: Provide the polling place, date and time they voted
• If they did not vote and believe they have a valid and sufficient reason: Provide the details of your reason.
• To pay the $20 penalty.

The most direct way to respond to this notice is to complete the online form below:

You will need the Elector ID included on your failure to vote notice to access this form. Don’t forget to download a copy of your completed form or payment receipt for your records once the form has been submitted.

Payment of the $20 penalty fully discharges any liability related to your apparent failure to vote. No further proceedings can be taken against you, and you will not be regarded as having been convicted of any offence. However, if your cheque is not honoured by the bank, or the credit/debit card details provided are rejected, it will be deemed that payment of the penalty has not been made.

If you have provided a reason for failing to vote, this will be reviewed by the Electoral Commissioner to determine if it is valid and sufficient. If you provide details of the polling place, date, and time you voted, this will be investigated by the Electoral Commission.

If the Electoral Commissioner deems your reason valid and sufficient, or if we can confirm that you did vote, this matter will be finalised, and you will not receive any further correspondence from the Electoral Commission. If your reason is not deemed valid and sufficient, or if we cannot confirm you voted in the 2024 ACT Legislative Assembly election, you will receive a notification from the Electoral Commission and will be provided with the opportunity to pay the $20 penalty. If the penalty is not paid within the provided timeframe, we may be obliged to have this matter dealt with by the Court.

We encourage you to provide an email address when responding to this notice, as this will allow us to communicate with you efficiently.

If you would like to tell us where you voted or provide a reason for failing to vote, you can email us at electionsFTV@act.gov.au. Please include your full name, enrolled address, and the Elector ID provided on the notice.

If you would like to tell us where you voted, provide a reason for failing to vote, or pay the $20 penalty, you can send us a letter or cheque/money order by mail. Please include your full name, enrolled address, and the Elector ID provided on the notice. Cheques/money orders should be made out to the ACT Electoral Commission. Mail can be sent to:

ACT Electoral Commission
Reply Paid 83416
Canberra ACT 2601

Please do not send cash by mail.

Elections ACT will accept payments by cash, cheque/money order, eftpos or credit/debit (Mastercard or Visa) at our office. Reasons for failing to vote or details of where you voted can also be hand delivered to our office. These must be provided in writing and include your full name, enrolled address and the Elector ID provided on the notice.

Elections ACT office is located at:

Nara Centre, 3 Constitution Avenue, Canberra City.

Our opening times are Monday to Friday – 9am to 5pm excluding public holidays.

Elections ACT will send three notices to electors who failed to vote in the 2024 ACT Legislative Assembly election. If no response is received, or your failure to vote case is not resolved to the satisfaction of the Electoral Commissioner, we will be obliged to have this matter dealt with by the Courts. If you are convicted in the Magistrates Court of failing to vote, the maximum fine will be $80, plus any court costs. We encourage you to engage with Elections ACT early to resolve your failure to vote case to avoid this matter being dealt with by the Courts.

If you require any additional information regarding your failure to vote case, please contact Elections ACT on 6205 0033 and select the failure to vote option in the phone queue.