| Ballot |
A secret vote, normally written. |
| Ballot box |
The sealed container into which a voter places a completed ballot paper. |
| Ballot paper |
A paper that shows the names of the candidates who are standing for election and on which voters mark their vote. |
| By-election |
An election held to fill a single vacancy in the House of Representatives. |
| Candidate |
A person standing for election to the House of Representatives or Senate. |
| Certified list |
The official electoral roll used to mark off voters at an election. |
| Close seat |
A term used while counting votes to describe a seat where the results are close. |
| Compulsory enrolment |
The requirement for Australian citizens aged 18 years and over to enrol to vote. |
| Constitution (Australian) |
A document which sets out the structure of Australian federal politics, and can only be amended through a referendum. |
| Court of Disputed Returns |
A court (in Australia the High Court) that determines disputes about elections. |
| Declaration vote |
Any vote where instead of the voter being marked off the certified list, the vote is sealed in an envelope and signed by the voter. |
| Division or electorate |
The voting area, containing approximately equal numbers of voters, for which one member is elected to the House of Representatives. Australia is divided into 150 electorates. |
| Electoral roll |
The list of people entitled to vote in an election or referendum. |
| Elector |
A person entitled to vote at an election. |
| Federal election |
A general election for the House of Representatives and Senate. |
| Fee-for-service election |
An election or ballot conducted on a full cost recovery basis. |
| Financial disclosure return |
A document detailing information on the receipts and expenditure of participants in the political process. |
| Formality or formal vote |
A vote in an election or referendum, where the ballot paper has been marked correctly and is counted towards the result. A ballot paper incorrectly marked is called informal. |
| Franchise |
The right to vote. |
| Funding and Disclosure |
Public funding of election campaigns and disclosure of certain financial details by candidates, political parties and others. |
| General Postal Voter (GPV) |
A voter who is registered to have postal ballot papers sent automatically due to difficulty getting to a polling place. |
| House of Representatives |
The house of Parliament in which the government is formed. Under a preferential voting system, each division elects one member of the House of Representatives. |
| Hung parliament |
A parliament where no political party or coalition of parties has a majority in the House of Representatives. |
| Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters (JSCEM) |
The parliamentary committee that inquires into and reports on matters relating to electoral laws, practices and administration. |
| Member |
Any person elected to parliament, but commonly used for the House of Representatives. |
| Mobile polling team |
Polling officials who bring polling to hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, remand centres and remote locations. |
| Nomination |
To submit for candidacy for election to the Senate or House of Representatives. |
| Ordinary vote |
A vote cast on or before election day within the division the voter is enrolled. |
| Poll |
An election – a count of votes or opinions. |
| Polling day |
The day fixed for the election. |
| Polling place |
A location for people to vote. |
| Postal vote |
Ballot papers sent to a voter and posted back before the close of polling. |
| Preferential voting |
A system of voting where a voter shows an order of preference for candidates by numbering their choices. |
| Pre-poll vote |
A vote cast before polling day. |
| Provisional vote |
Votes cast at a polling place where the elector’s name cannot be found on the roll, the name has been marked off, or the voter has a silent enrolment. |
| Redistribution |
A redrawing of electoral boundaries to ensure (as close as possible) the same number of voters in each division. |
| Referendum |
A vote to change the Constitution. |
| Roll |
A list of voters eligible to vote at an election or referendum. |
| Registered political party |
A party registered with the AEC under Part XI of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918. |
| Secret ballot |
A vote made in secret. |
| Senate |
The house of Parliament representing the states. Seventy-six senators are elected – 12 from each state and two from each territory, under a proportional representation system. |
| Silent elector |
A voter whose address does not appear on the electoral roll for reasons of personal safety. |
| Turnout |
The percentage of people who voted in the election, calculated by dividing the sum of formal and informal votes by the final enrolment figure. |
| Vote |
To choose a representative, or make a preference, in an election. |
| Writ |
A document commanding an electoral officer to hold an election, containing dates for the close of rolls, the close of nominations, the election day and the return of the writ. |