elections.act.gov.au FAQ – Enrolment : Electoral Commission Australian Capital Territory

Organisation : ACT Electoral Commission
Facility : FAQ – Enrolment
Country : Australia
Territory : Australian Capital Territory

FAQ – Enrolment : http://www.elections.act.gov.au/electoral_enrolment/faq_-_enrolment
Home Page : http://www.elections.act.gov.au/home

What is a general postal voter, and how do I register as one? :
Registration as a general postal voter means that you will automatically be sent postal voting material as soon as possible after pre-poll voting commences for each election.

You can apply for registration as a general postal voter if :
** you are a patient in a hospital, nursing home or similar institution that is not provided with mobile polling facilities and you are too ill or infirm to travel;
** you live at home and you are too ill or infirm to travel;
** you are detained in lawful custody (for example, serving a prison sentence);
** you have a physical disability which prevents you from signing your name and have provided on enrolling (or can provide) a doctor’s certificate to this effect;
** you live more than 20 km by the nearest practicable route from a polling place;
** your address is not shown on the roll because you are a silent elector; or
** because of your religious beliefs you are precluded from attending a polling place.
** Contact the ACT Electoral Commission or the Australian Electoral Commission for more details or an application form

I’m going overseas, how do I maintain my enrolment? :
If your trip is less than one year and you are returning to your enrolled address, you can register as ‘temporarily absent’. Contact the ACT Electoral Commission or the Australian Electoral Commission to advise of the details of your trip. If notifying by email please include your full name, date of birth, enrolled address, and dates of departure and return (approximately if exact dates are not known). Your name will be kept on a register of temporary overseas electors. If your trip is for longer than one year or you are not returning to your enrolled address, you may apply to register as an “eligible overseas elector”, which means your name will stay on the roll while you are overseas. Contact the ACT Electoral Commission or the Australian Electoral Commission for more details or complete an eligible overseas elector form from the AEC’s website. If you are enrolled in the ACT, registering as an overseas elector with the AEC will ensure you are registered as an overseas elector for ACT Legislative Assembly elections also.

Note: you must intend to return to the ACT to be eligible to vote in ACT Legislative Assembly elections.

I’m already overseas, how do I enrol?
If you are NOT already enrolled (but would be eligible if you were in Australia) and are living overseas, you may enrol from outside Australia.

You may enrol from outside Australia if you :
** left Australia less than 2 years ago;
** are outside Australia for your career or employment purposes or those of your spouse; and
** intend to resume residing in Australia within 6 years of your date of their departure from Australia.
** Contact the ACT Electoral Commission or the Australian Electoral Commission for more details or an application form

I’m a member of the Australian Defence Forces, how do I maintain my enrolment? :
If you are intending to return to your enrolled address, you are entitled to maintain your enrolment at that address. To ensure that you remain on the roll at that address while you are away, contact the ACT Electoral Commission or the Australian Electoral Commission and let us know how long you expect to be away. If you do not intend returning to your enrolled address, you must enrol at your new address. If you have been posted overseas you may apply to be registered as an overseas elector.

I’m leaving to work in the Antarctic, will I still be enrolled and how will I vote? :
If you are going to work in the Antarctic (including Heard Island, McDonald Island and Macquarie Island), you may be eligible to enrol as an “Antarctic elector”. Contact the ACT Electoral Commission or the Australian Electoral Commission for more details or an application form. If you are in the Antarctic on polling day (or in transit on a ship to or from the Antarctic) special arrangements can be made to let you vote. Because this will require the electronic transmission of individual vote details, and because of the small number of electors involved, there may be a limited loss of secrecy of individual votes. For this reason, voting in the Antarctic is not compulsory.

I have no permanent home, can I still enrol? :
If you have no permanent home, you may be eligible to enrol as an “itinerant elector”. Contact the ACT Electoral Commission or the Australian Electoral Commission for more details or an application form.

Are there any people who cannot enrol? :
Yes. A person cannot enrol if :
** because of unsound mind, he or she is incapable of understanding the nature and significance of enrolment and voting;
** he or she has been convicted of treason and has not been pardoned; or
** under the migration law he or she is the holder of a temporary entry permit or is an illegal entrant.

A person cannot enrol for federal elections if he or she has been convicted and is under sentence for 3 years or longer under Commonwealth, State or Territory law. However a prisoner is eligible to enrol and vote in ACT Legislative Assembly elections regardless of the length of their sentence.

My relative is of unsound mind, how do I get his/her name taken off the electoral roll? :
An elector may be removed from the roll where a registered medical practitioner has certified in writing that the person is incapable of understanding the nature and significance of enrolment and voting because of unsound mind. You should write to the Australian Electoral Commission, providing details of the elector’s full name, date of birth and enrolled address, and attaching the medical practitioner’s certificate.

My relative has just died, will he/she automatically come off the electoral roll? :
In time, we will receive notification of everyone who dies from Births, Deaths and Marriages, and his/her name will automatically be removed from the rolls.

Can I see the electoral roll? :
Yes. The rolls for the electorates of Brindabella, Ginninderra and Molonglo are available for public inspection at the office of the ACT Electoral Commission. These rolls are updated approximately every 3 months. The roll is not available on the internet for privacy reasons.

Can I buy a copy of the electoral roll? :
No. Rolls cannot be purchased from the Australian Electoral Commission or the ACT Electoral Commission. The Electoral Act prohibits the selling of the roll.

Am I on the roll? :
If you are unsure if you are correctly enrolled, you can check your enrolment details online, via the Australian Electoral Commission’s website. Alternatively, you may contact the ACT Electoral Commission or the Australian Electoral Commission to check your enrolment details. When making such an enquiry, you will be asked to provide all the details about your enrolment. We can only provide you with confirmation of the details you have supplied. No further information can be given. If you are told that you are not currently enrolled for the address for which you claim enrolment, you should submit an enrolment form to update your details. You may be on the electoral roll for a previous address.

What electorate am I enrolled for? :
Electorate boundaries follow suburb boundaries in the ACT. Go to the “which electorate am I in?” page and find your suburb. This will tell you which electorate you are in.