#PostYourYes Safely: ABS Warns of Sharing Your Marriage Equality Postal Vote Online

Marriage Equality ballots have started rocking up in mailboxes and enthusiastic "Yes" voters have jumped on a social media campaign to show their support.

The Equality Campaign has started a #PostYourYes campaign, which involves "yes" voters posting their voting process online. It's a great initiative to remind people to cast their votes and encourage undecided voters, so it gets a big thumbs up. 

But the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the ones running the vote, have cautioned voters posting pictures of their actual ballot paper on social media. This is because each form contains a unique barcode linked to your specific ballot paper, designed so everyone only gets one vote each. If anyone wanted to tamper with your vote, it'd be pretty easy if it's just a Tweet/Facebook search away.

On top of that, the ABS' ballot form contains your full address. Some of your Facebook friends might already know where you live and that's cool, but I'm sure there are a few of your "friends" who are lurking in the dark shadows of an un-culled friend list that you probably don't want to know your full home address.

There have also been some photos showing people writing extra messages on the ballot paper. It's best to just write in your vote and post it off to be safe, but if you do make an error, the ABS has supplied a handy guide to show you how to fix it. If you must write a note, ensure that it doesn't affect the two boxes or the question at all, but methinks it's best to err on the side of caution and just tick the box.

So, while the #PostYourYes campaign is a great initiative, there are other ways to show your support for the "Yes" campaign.

1. Volunteer for the Equality Campaign.

If you've got a bit of spare time after school or uni, or on the weekends, consider volunteering for the "Yes" campaign. It can range from putting marriage equality leaflets in your neighbours letterboxes to visiting calling-banks where you and other volunteers can make phone calls to your area to get them to consider voting "yes". You can even make calls from home.

2. Talk to your family and friends about why you're voting yes.

While you may be a supporter of marriage equality, the statistics show the older generations are less likely to support marriage equality. That's why it's important to talk to them about your view. The "Yes" campaign has done the hard yards and provided a convenient guide for going through that (sometimes tough) conversation.

3. Attend a rally or march.

Attending a marriage equality march is a great way of showing support, and while most of Australia's capitals have already held marches, there will likely be a few more coming. Check Facebook and upcoming marches in your nearest major town or city. Sydney will host another one in October; the same goes in Melbourne. Adelaide and Perth will both hold marches this weekend.

If you still want to post your ballot paper on social media, make sure you take the necessary steps to protect yourself and your vote. Let's make this happen.

Read more:

Marriage Equality: What Are the Mental Health Consequences of a "No" Result in the Postal Survey?

Photo: ABS