Outta Town on Election Day? Don't Give Up Your Say

You might miss the sausage sizzle, but you shouldn't miss your chance to vote.

This article was written by student freelancer, Minh Hoang.

Life can be complicated, especially with recent surges of COVID-19 and the borders finally open to satisfy your travelling thirst after three long years.

So if you're unavailable on 21 May to exercise your constitutional rights and duties, that might just be a bit overwhelming.

But worry not because we've done all the boring research on how you can still vote.

1. Early bird gets the worm.

To vote early, simply visit this link, select ‘Before Election Day’, enter your postcode, and check out a list of early polling sites closest to your neighborhood.

Voting commences on 9 May and keep in mind that more polling sites will be constantly added.

2. From the comfort of your home (even if ‘home’ is Antarctica).

Keep an eye on your sched because applications for postal voting closes on 18 May. You must submit your personal information and declare a sound reason to why this is your preferred voting method here.

Note that after a successful application, the ballot must be filled in by no later than 21 May. Then you have 13 days for the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) to receive your vote – so chop chop!

For voters with vision impairment, COVID-19 (especially in the last three days of the election) or working/transiting in Antarctica (this one seems a lil random), dial 1800 913 993 to register for telephone voting. The service available on weekdays during AEST business hours from 9-20 May. Successful registrants will receive a registration number and a chosen PIN to ensure anonymity of the votes. Simply dial the same number again and use the registration details to cast your vote.

If you are residing in a hospital, care facility or remote community, a dedicated service of 40 mobile voting teams will visit 350 communities Australia-wide to make sure no one’s left behind.

Finally, you can check out these polling sites for interstate and overseas voters. Due to the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 internationally, the AEC advises overseas voters register for postal voting as the safest option.

3. Non-voters, *you* matter!

If you’re under 18 or a non-citizen but currently working or studying in Australia – you can’t vote. However, just because you cannot cast a ballot doesn’t mean the election’s outcome doesn’t affect you. There are still some tangible ways to participate in the election, exercise your voice and make an impact indirectly.

You can volunteer for a candidate that aligns with your political interests by phone banking, door knocking, handing out flyers, and displaying banners (where appropriate of course).

Social media is a powerful platform to advocate for your preferred candidates or parties (duh), however, use them wisely and cautiously. Fact-check to ensure information is shared from reliable sources and initiate conversations around policies with other eligible voters, rather than gossiping about the politicians themselves.

Congratulations if you made it this far! We hope our comprehensive look at the Election Day alternatives smoothens the creases.

For any other inquiries, the Australian Electoral Commission’s website is your go-to.

Be a dutiful citizen, even if you don’t get your democracy sausage!