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PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION SOCIETY OF
AUSTRALIA |
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Tel +612262958137 |
Tel +61429176725 |
npres@prsa.org.au | www.prsa.org.au | |
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Make the most of
your Senate vote (This can be printed as a PDF
by clicking here) A
voter’s guide to making your Senate vote as
effective as possible this federal election Australia has new
rules this federal election which make it much
easier to cast a vote in the Senate that fully
reflects your own views. It is now much simpler to
vote for individual candidates below the line.
Group voting tickets, through which it was sometimes
possible for candidates with little voter support to
be elected through complex, opaque interlocking
numberings among themselves, have been abolished. By
taking a moment to understanding some simple facts
about the new Senate voting arrangements, you can
maximise the impact of your vote this election. You
will see that your vote is most effective if you: · vote below the
line for individual Senate candidates · say it like it is: number the candidates in the order
of your own genuine
preferences · don’t hold back: mark as many preferences as you
genuinely have (and at least 6 to have the vote
accepted as formal). Preferential
voting Australia has a
preferential system of voting for federal elections.
This means that you number the candidates in the
order of your preference for them. This determines
the order in which what is still unused of your
single vote will be available to candidates. Your vote will always
assist your first preference candidate while they
remain in contention to be elected. If at any stage
of the count, some or all of your vote cannot assist
one of your most preferred candidates to be elected,
the unused portion of your vote will be transferred
to your next preferred candidate who is still in the
running. Below
the Line voting vs Above
the Line voting Voting below the line
guarantees that you will maximise the impact your
opinions have in the Senate election. When voting for the
Senate, you have the option of indicating your
preference for political parties and groups above
the line, instead of individual candidates below
the line. By voting above the line, you
delegate to each political party or group you number
the decision about the order in which your vote will
be counted for candidates within
those parties or groups. Since you must vote either above the line
or below the
line, you should only vote above the line
where you agree exactly
with the order in which all
of your preferred parties have ordered their
candidates. Your vote cannot assist anyone in
parties or groups that you haven’t numbered. It is
most effective to “say it like it is” Give your vote the most impact by
numbering the candidates in accordance with your
own genuine preferences. Australia’s voting
system has been designed so that when you mark a
lower preference it cannot hurt the chances of
election of your higher-preference candidates. Your
most preferred candidate will always benefit from
your vote while they are still in contention to be
elected. This means you don’t
need to worry about ‘tactical voting’, or ‘wasting’
your vote where you think your preferred candidate
or candidates won’t be successful. You can never
harm the chances of your higher-preference
candidates by marking further preferences. Don’t
hold back on marking preferences Minimise the
chances of your vote being wasted by marking as
many preferences as you genuinely have. Preferential voting
in Senate elections is designed to minimise the
number of wasted votes, that is, votes that have no
direct impact on who gets elected. As the counting
progresses, your vote only ceases to affect the
outcome in two situations:
where you have not marked any further
preference for a candidate still in contention to be
elected. Remember, it makes sense to express a
preference for as many candidates as you can
differentiate among, putting those you generally
agree with ahead of those you are ambivalent about,
followed by those you disagree with. Marking more
preferences means your vote has more chance of
ensuring that views closer to yours are represented
in the Senate. 1.
where your preferred continuing
candidate is lowest in the poll and no transfer is
necessary to determine who fills the remaining
vacancies. How
to Vote
cards are suggestions
only The
Senate voting system is
designed to allow you maximum flexibility in
specifying what happens to your vote. Take
advantage of this. Political parties and
other political groups often prepare How to Vote
cards indicating the order in which they think you
should mark your preferences on a ballot paper. How to
Vote cards are suggestions only, and you do
not have to follow them to cast a valid vote.
So-called ‘preference deals’ by political parties
and groups are not binding on voters. You should follow the
advice on a How to Vote card only where you
agree exactly
with the suggested order of preferences on the card.
However, you should also feel free to mix and match.
You may prefer a candidate lower on a party’s ticket
above a candidate higher on the ticket - feel free
to give such candidates a boost through a higher
preference. You may also wish to vote across party
lines for individual candidates that you like - you
are free to do so! How
many preferences do you have to mark? To cast a valid Senate vote that best
reflects your personal opinions, mark at least 6
candidates below the line. The ballot paper will
have instructions telling you to mark at least 12
candidates below the line or 6 boxes above the line.
Under the law, any vote with preferences for a
minimum of 6
candidates below the line or
one party or group
above the line is accepted as formal. Voting below the line
will better reflect your own assessment of the
candidates. Remember, the fewer preferences you
mark, the greater the risk of part or all of your
vote being wasted in situations where it could have
helped elect other candidates with views closer to
your own. How
your vote will be counted Put simply, Senate
preferential voting works by transferring all or
part of your single vote to your next preferred
candidate who is still in contention to be elected,
but only where it has not been (or can no longer be)
counted towards your more preferred candidates. This
happens in two ways: 1.
where your most preferred candidate has
more votes than they need for election, their
surplus is distributed: an unused fraction of
your vote will be transferred to your next preferred
among candidates still in the running 2.
where there are no surpluses to
distribute and your most preferred candidate has the
lowest number of votes of any candidates still in
contention, that candidate will be excluded and your
vote transferred to your next preferred candidate at
its full remaining value. More
information
Authorised by Bogey Musidlak 14
Strzelecki Crescent Narrabuundah 2604 ACT |