Make it count: how to vote on referendum day

What will the referendum ballot paper look like, and what will you need to do to make your vote counted on October 14, 2023?

Transcript

00:00 Australians are about to vote in the first referendum since 1999. When you head

00:05 down to your local polling booth on October 14, the ballot paper you'll be

00:09 handed might look a little different to the ones that you've seen on election

00:12 days. The referendum paper will look like this one. Instead of numbering candidates

00:17 you'll be asked simply write yes or no in the box provided. The box will appear

00:21 on the ballot paper opposite the question. In some cases the Australian

00:26 Electoral Commission will allow a vote where the intention is clear even if the

00:30 words yes or no have not been clearly written. For example a clear Y or an N

00:36 can indicate the voters intention. But this is a risky move. Anything that could

00:41 be up to interpretation or challenged could ultimately be left out of the

00:46 count. Drawing a cross or a tick on the ballot paper could also be challenged

00:51 and so the Electoral Commission really advises against doing this. The reason

00:55 being that on many forms used in daily life and in many languages either a

00:59 cross or a tick is used to represent a checkmark. That means both could be

01:04 interpreted to mean yes and particularly with a cross it could also mean no.

01:08 Because it's unclear there's a chance both types of vote will be considered

01:12 informal and won't be counted. If you make a mistake on your ballot paper on

01:17 referendum day don't worry. You can ask for another piece of paper and simply

01:22 start again. All votes whether made on October 14 or cast early will need to be

01:28 made physically. There will be no electronic voting in this referendum. In

01:33 some cases voting will be allowed by telephone and there will be options for

01:37 postal voters too. Alternatives will also be available for non-english speakers,

01:42 blind or low vision voters and those who require additional reading support.

01:47 Information for those voters is available via the official Electoral

01:51 Commission website.

01:54 you

01:57 you

02:00 (music fades)

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