How to vote if you are overseas
Many seniors will be out of the country on federal election day. Here’s a guide on how to vote before you go or while you are away.
Answers about postal voting
Under certain circumstances, you may be eligible for a postal vote in the 3 May federal election.
To do so, you must register with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) which you can do here.
You can apply for a postal vote if on election day you:
Are outside the electorate where you are enrolled to vote
Are more than 8km from a polling place
Are travelling
Can’t leave your workplace to vote
Are seriously ill, infirm, have recently given birth, or are expected shortly to do so (or caring for someone who is)
Are a person with disability (or caring for someone who is)
Are a patient in hospital
Have religious beliefs that prevent you from attending a polling place
Are in prison serving a sentence of less than three years or otherwise detained
- Are a silent elector
- Have a reasonable fear for your safety.
The AEC notes that, “You can also vote early in person by visiting an early voting centre. Consider your options carefully. Postal delivery timeframes have changed, voting early in-person may be a better option than voting by post.”
The commission provides answers to frequently asked questions about postal voting here.
Nearly 10 million Australians travelled overseas last year, up from around 7.2 million in the previous year.
Forty per cent of those were people aged 50-plus, and travel commentators predict that number to rise as more seniors spend up on their dream overseas holiday.
This federal election coincides with spring in the northern hemisphere – a happy holiday season and popular destination for Australians. So, for the period when voting is available, including on election day, 3 May, many thousands of older Australians will be far away from their local polling booths.
I have already received helpful offers from my local candidates offering to arrange postal voting, if that’s what I want.
In fact, I probably do. You see, I will be one of those many thousands travelling for an extended time to Europe and the United States, making voting in the election a tad difficult and requiring considerable research and planning.
One thing is for sure, I won’t be able to lodge a vote while on a Norwegian cruise ship in the middle of the Atlantic, which is where I think I will be on 3 May.
That leaves the following options:
Voting in-person
You can do this during the early voting period in Australia before travelling. Early voting begins on 22 April and ends the day before election day, Friday, 2 May.
Postal voting
You can apply for a postal vote now but the voting papers cannot be mailed to you until they are printed, which is from Friday, 11 April. Information is available here on the AEC website.
Many overseas voting centres will accept completed postal votes via local mail. You can apply for a postal vote here.
Overseas voting at an in-person location
There will be 111 voting locations across 81 countries this election, which the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) tells me is more than ever before.
In-person overseas voting locations will be available during the early voting period which is the two weeks leading up to election day.
A list of all overseas voting centres is available here on the AEC’s website.The AEC recommends visiting the website of the Australian embassy, consulate, or high commission near you for further details. Check regularly:
If they are offering in-person voting and collecting postal votes
Opening days and times
If you need to make an appointment to vote
Security or entry requirements.
Some Australian embassies, consulates, and high commissions require you to make an appointment and/or request ID documents such as a passport or driver’s licence. You may also be required to pass through security screening to enter the building.
Many overseas voting centres will accept completed postal votes via local mail or in-person drop-off. The overseas voting centre will forward your postal vote via diplomatic mail to the AEC in Australia. This helps get your vote back to the AEC as soon as possible to meet the deadline, with is the 13th day after election day.
Seniors being seniors, many travel for long periods – if you are spending big to go to the other side of the globe, then it’s best to get value for money! That could mean spending an extended period in remote and isolated areas, where accessing any of the above options in the timeframe available is impossible. What then?
In my case, there is every possibility I won’t be able to lodge a postal vote, given the time this option is available. As I’ll be mid-Atlantic, popping into the nearest embassy or consulate would be quite a swim.
The AEC does its best to provide voting access but cautions: “Depending on the exact dates of where people are, there are always going to be some circumstances where people will not be able to vote.”
The AEC advises that if you’re overseas and unable to vote in-person or by postal vote, you should complete and submit an overseas notification form.
It is not compulsory to vote if you are outside Australia. However, if you do not inform the AEC, they will write to you asking you to explain why you did not vote.
The AEC website has further information and explainer videos you may find useful.
Related reading: Smartraveller, AEC
