Glossary
Nomination
Candidates must be nominated before they may be elected to the Senate or the House of Representatives. Nominations can be made after the writ for an election has been issued and by the time and date specified as the close of nominations. For each nomination a deposit must also be lodged.
Opinion poll
A survey conducted by private organisations between and before elections to get an idea of how people would vote if an election were held.
Opposition
The major party, or coalition of parties in parliament which has the next highest number of votes.
Ordinary vote
A vote cast at a polling place in the elector's home division on polling day. At the 1996 election 86.21% of electors voted this way.
Overseas elector
An elector who is going overseas for three years or less can apply to be an overseas elector within 3 months before leaving Australia or within 1 year after the day on which the they ceased to reside in Australia.
Parliament
The political assembly in which elected representatives talk about and vote upon proposed laws. The word 'parliament' comes from 15th century English, and from a French word meaning 'talking place'.
Parliamentary democracy
A system of government where the people exercise their political power by electing representatives to parliament to make laws. Australia is a parliamentary democracy.
Platform
The policies or plans that the candidates and parties say they will carry out if elected.
Plebiscite
An issue put before the electorate which does not affect the Constitution.
Political party
A group of people with similar ideas or aims, some of whose members nominate as candidates at elections in the hope that they will be elected to parliament. A political party can register with the Australian Electoral Commission for federal elections. This is to fulfil legislative requirements under the Funding and Disclosure provisions of the Commonwealth Electoral Act and to enable party names to appear on the ballot paper.
Poll
Another word for an election.
Polling place
Polling places are set up in each division to take the votes of the local people. At the 1996 election there were 7 865 ordinary polling places.
Postal voters
Electors who for various reasons cannot attend a polling place in the State or Territory for which they are enrolled on polling day can apply in writing for a postal vote. The Divisional Returning Officer will then send them their ballot papers which must be posted back before the close of polling.
Preferential voting
A system of voting in which the voter completes the ballot paper by putting the number '1' in the box beside their first choice candidate, the number '2' beside their second choice and so on until all candidates are numbered.
Pre-poll votes
Votes cast at a divisional office or any pre-poll voting centre in the lead up to polling day. They are cast by voters who will not be able to get to a polling place in their State or Territory on election day.
Preselection
The choice by a political party of its candidates for an election.
Proportional representation
A system of voting designed to elect representatives in proportion to the amount of support each has in the electorate.
Provisional enrolment at 17yrs
Persons who are 17 and who, when turning 18, will be qualified to enrol may apply for enrolment. Provisional enrolment ensures that, should such persons turn 18 after the close of the rolls but on or before polling day for an election, they will be able to vote in that election.
Provisional vote
A provisional vote may be claimed by a person whose name cannot be found on the certified list of voters, or whose name is already marked off the roll but claims not to have voted. The provisional voter's name is checked at the divisional office before the envelope containing the vote is included in the count.
Quota
The number of votes needed by a candidate or party to be elected. Candidates for the Senate are elected using a proportional representation system.
- Senate - the proportion of votes required by a candidate to be elected.
- Redistribution (entitlement) - the calculation used to determine the number of parliamentary representatives to which a State or Territory is entitled (ie the number of divisions).
- Redistribution (enrolment) - the current and projected average divisional enrolment for the State or Territory.
Re-check
When ballot papers for the Senate or House of Representatives are returned to the Divisional Returning Officer from all polling places for that division. A fresh scrutiny is conducted to re-check the counting done on election night.
Recount
A second or further count of votes in an election.
Redistribution
The redrawing of electoral boundaries for a division to ensure that there are, as near as possible, equal numbers of electors in each division for a State or Territory.
Referendum
The Australian Constitution can only be altered with the approval of a national majority of electors in States and Territories and a majority of electors in a majority of States.
Representative
A person elected to parliament to represent the people of a division (House of Representatives) or State (Senate).
Roll
The list of voters eligible to vote at an election.
Run (in an election)
To stand as a candidate in an election.
Safe seat
A term used after counting has been completed to describe a seat where the winning candidate received more than 60% of the vote.
Scrutineers
People appointed by candidates to observe the voting, and counting of the votes. Candidates can appoint scrutineers for each polling place. Scrutineers have the right to be present when the ballot boxes are sealed and opened and when the votes are sorted and counted so that they may check any possible irregularities, but they may not touch any ballot paper.
Scrutiny
The process following the close of polling. Acceptability of votes is determined and the votes are sorted and counted to determine the outcome of the election.
Seat
Another term for division; used because the candidate elected then has a seat in parliament.
Secret ballot
A vote made in secret - first introduced in Victoria in 1856. Sometimes called the 'Australian ballot'.
Senate
One of the two houses of federal Parliament, the other being the House of Representatives. It is often called the 'Upper House' or house of review. There are 76 Senators; 12 from each of the six states and 2 from the ACT and NT.
Senators
A person elected by the voters of a State or Territory to represent them in the Senate.
Silent elector
An elector who believes that having their name on the Roll will place their personal safety or that of members of their family at risk can apply to have their address not shown on the Roll.
Suffrage
The right to vote at elections ie. all Australian citizens 18 or over have suffrage.
Surplus
Votes gained by a Senate candidate which are surplus to the quota required for election.
Swinging voter
An elector who does not have a steady pattern of voting for the same party.
Swing
The difference between the performance of a candidate or party at one election in comparison to another.
Tally Room
The place where the progressive voting figures for all divisions are displayed when the votes are being counted on election night. The National Tally Room is located in Canberra.
Transfer Value
In a Senate election a candidate's surplus is transferred at a fraction of its value to the next available candidate.
Turnout
The number of people who voted in the election calculated by dividing the sum of formal and informal votes by the final enrolment figure. The final enrolment figure is the total number of people who are entitled to vote in an election. The AEC acknowledges that this may not be the most comprehensive way to calculate voter turnout and will be researching the issue prior to the next federal election. The AEC believes that calculating turnout in this way may result in a slightly downward bias due to the substantial increase in declaration votes over the past several elections. This is because rejected declaration votes are not currently included in this calculation of voter turnout . If declaration votes received but subsequently rejected, and not admitted to the count, were to be included, the final voter turnout figure for the 2007 election would be higher than 95%.
Two candidate preferred
(TCP) refers to a distribution of preferences of the two candidates who are expected to come first and second in the election. Often, but not always, these will be the candidates representing the ALP and the Coalition (Liberal, National or Country Liberal Parties).
Two party preferred
(TPP) refers to a distribution of preferences where, by convention, comparisons are made between the ALP and the leading Coalition candidates. In seats where the final two candidates are not from the ALP and the Coalition, a notional distribution of preferences is conducted to find the result of preference flows to the ALP and the Coalition candidates.
Vote
The formal act of an elector in an election to choose the candidate the elector most wants to be the representative for that division. Australia has a secret vote, and enforces compulsory voting.
Voting screen/compartment
A small compartment or cubicle at the polling place where people fill in their voting papers in secret at elections.
Writ
A writ is a document commanding an electoral officer to hold an election and contains dates for the close of rolls, the close of nominations, the polling day and the return of the writ. The Governor-General issues the writs for House of Representatives elections and the State Governors in the case of Senate elections.
