There are two types of votes at a general election: ordinary votes and special votes.
If your name is on the printed electoral roll at the voting place when you go to vote, you’ll cast an ordinary vote.
If your name is not on the printed electoral roll at the voting place, you’ll cast a special vote.
You might not be on the printed electoral roll at the voting place you go to vote at if:
- you’re voting from outside your electorate (or from overseas)
- you’re on the unpublished roll
- you’re not enrolled or need to update your enrolment details
- you enrolled after Writ Day (10 September 2023).
Both sorts of votes are worth the same when it comes to the final result!
The only real difference is that if you’re making a special vote, you’ll need to fill out an extra form. If you need to enrol or update your enrolment, you’ll also need to complete an enrolment form. This means it may take you a little bit longer to complete your vote at a voting place.
Special votes are counted during the official count. Before special votes are counted, we check each voter is enrolled.
