You can apply for a postal vote if on voting day you:
Postal voting enables you to vote early. You can also vote early in person by visiting an early voting centre. Consider your options carefully. Voting early in-person may be a better option than voting by post.
If you are a registered general postal voter, you will automatically receive a postal vote pack in the mail. The AEC will commence sending postal vote packs after the close of rolls. You do not need to re-apply for a postal vote for future elections or referendums.
Note: If your postal address has changed or you have been affected by events such as natural disasters, you can update your postal address via the online enrolment form or you can contact us.
If you are registered as a silent elector, and you are not a general postal voter, you can complete a postal vote application form, or you can vote in person at an early voting centre or on voting day.
The online postal vote application system has strict security measures in place to protect your personal information. The AEC also has authentication procedures in place to verify that the person who applied for the postal vote is the same person who completed the postal vote.
The AEC will send you your postal vote pack, which includes your ballot paper, after the close of rolls.
The AEC processes a high volume of postal vote applications. If there are differences between your enrolment details and your postal vote application, it may also take additional time to process your application.
If you provided your postal vote application to a political party or other organisation, they may not have delivered your application to the AEC immediately. The AEC can only begin to process your request once the political party or organisation has forwarded your form to us.
Postal votes packs are sent by Priority Post through Australia Post. Please allow at least a few days for the postal vote pack to reach you by mail, especially if you are in a regional or remote location or are overseas.
If you provided your email or mobile number on your postal vote application, we will send you status updates on your application (so long as you did not opt-out of notifications).
You can check the status of your postal vote pack using the PVA receipt ID the AEC has sent to you.
Please note that the AEC is unable to provide delivery tracking information once your postal vote pack has been handed to Australia Post.
The AEC will send your postal vote pack by Priority Post through Australia Post or by international courier if you are overseas.
If you have received a text message saying that your postal vote pack has been delivered to Australia Post, it simply means that we have lodged your postal vote pack with Australia Post and they will now deliver it to you.
Your postal vote pack, which includes your ballot paper, will be delivered to the address you requested. Please allow at least a few days for the postal vote pack to reach you by mail, especially if you are in a regional or remote location or are overseas.
Please note that the AEC is unable to provide delivery tracking information once your postal vote pack has been handed to Australia Post.
Look for the folded piece of paper that has ‘POSTAL VOTE CERTFICATE’ written on it.
Included in your materials is a pamphlet that has instructions on how to complete your postal vote certificate. You can also use the QR code on your postal vote certificate to watch a video on how to complete your postal vote.
Your witness needs to be enrolled to vote and can be anyone who knows you, including a family member, a friend, or a neighbour. Your witness will make sure you fill out your own ballot paper – this is one of the ways the AEC makes sure that postal voting is secure.
If you are outside Australia, other acceptable witnesses include:
If you are overseas and still cannot find a witness, please see overseas postal voting or refer to the How to complete your overseas postal vote leaflet for instructions on what to do.
It is very important to do this correctly. You can use the QR code on your postal vote certificate to watch a video on how to complete your postal vote. This video includes how to put the certificate and ballot paper inside the return envelope.
Once you have completed steps 1 to 3 on the postal vote certificate, you can follow the steps below on how to place your certificate and ballot paper inside the return envelope:
Australian Electoral Commission
Reply Paid 9922
IN YOUR CAPITAL CITY
Postage is paid within Australia. If you are overseas, please remember to affix stamps before posting.
There is also a QR code on your postal vote certificate to watch a video on how to complete your postal vote. This video includes how to put the certificate inside the return envelope.
A white return envelope is included in your postal vote pack which should be used to return your postal vote to the AEC. This return envelope will hide your personal details on the postal vote certificate while it’s on its way back to us.
It is important to follow the instructions on how to insert your postal vote certificate and ballot paper inside the return envelope. You can use the QR code on your postal vote certificate to watch a video on how to complete your postal vote. This video includes how to put the certificate inside the return envelope.
You must complete your postal vote on or before voting day. Remember that both you and your witness must sign the declaration part on your postal vote certificate by 6pm on voting day.
Make sure you return your postal vote as soon as possible. We need to receive your postal vote by the 13th day after the voting day to include it in the count.
You may also return it by hand:
If you are overseas, find your nearest return address.
If the ballot paper and certificate are still usable, you can sticky tape the damaged sections back together and proceed with completing your postal vote. If we can still read it, we will count your vote. Please do not use staples or clips as they may damage our letter opening machines.
Please contact the AEC on 13 23 26 or view your alternative voting options if the materials are: