For a single, rigorous, transparent and innovative Australian election management body. This… is

Elections Australia.

Elections Australia is not an official electoral source. Everything may be subject to change at any time. Elections Australia does not guarantee, and accepts no legal liability, for the accuracy, reliability, currency or completeness of any material on this or any linked sites.

A merger of all of Australia’s Electoral Commissions into a new single election management body.

The big picture and small details. A single electoral framework, single electoral integrity, single electoral management, single electoral participation and single electoral operations model.

Legislated by, funded by and reportable to all Australian parliaments and governments. Likely an inter-jurisdictional body with firm clarity of arrangements, responsibility, accountability and governance.

Potential launch date – Early 2029 (before or after the March 2029, WA State Election).

Why.

A bringing together of and reduction in electoral management duplication. A single touchpoint for every election stakeholder. A single framework with modular delivery and active, genuine involvement of all levels of staff. A better institutional memory for the Australian electoral workforce and organisational setting. A role model for electoral management bodies around the world.

Updated: 2026-09-07

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Elections Australia

Draft organisational structure inspired by https://aceproject.org/

Electoral Framework

Electoral Integrity

Electoral Management

• Electoral Management
• Cost of Elections

Electoral Participation

• Candidates, Parties and Groups
• Accessibility
• Media
• Education

Electoral Operations

• Voter Enrolment
• Voting Operations
• Results
• Elections and Technology
• Elections and Security

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EA Framework

Redistributions

Any volume of electors requiring movement of electorates or any existing (or awaiting assent) electorate boundary may be considered as secondary factors during a redistribution but should not override any considered electorate boundary change.

Electoral (Voting) Systems

Develop a “menu” of models of electoral (voting) systems from which jurisdictions can select.

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EA Integrity

Largely exists. Collate. Harmonisation / standardisation for the strongest set of agreed outcomes ensuring rigour and transparency.

At the 2026 Secret Harbour (WA State) by-election, there were 16 candidates. 9 candidates of these candidates received 1% or less of first preference votes and another 2 candidates received less than 2% of first preference votes. Introduce a more layered and rigorous nomination process.

All nominations are taken online.

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EA Management

Elections Australia has its’ foundation as a distributed organisation.

The foundation of most EA work is undertaken by a more permanent / as required, distributed workforce, which does not require that a staff member be permanently tied to any specific location. Whenever necessary / required / determined, in-person in person. Governments to offer workspace across existing properties.

This is an outstanding opportunity for the best people and the best electoral people from around the country to build the most rigorous, transparent, innovative and best electoral system in the world. Employer of choice. Above and beyond.

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Accessibility and Sustainability – Built in. Better for some, can be better for all.

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Best in class, open source software. A leader.

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No Newspaper Requirement – Nothing required to be transmitted via newspapers.

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Sundays – Outside of exceptional circumstances such as any outstanding movement of voting materials, there should be no EA Operations work on a Sunday. Absent / provisional vote handling and any other Sunday vote processing is deferred for one day.

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Writs. EA shall determine, and amend as required, the timing for all aspects of the writ. This is to ensure that there are realistic, realisable and achievable allocations for all overarching activity periods. eg. that there is sufficient time from the close of nominations through to voting paper printing through to the start of voting.

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Feedback – Build feedback loops into every aspect of the process including all staff and all parliaments. The organisation is able to amend and guide its’ own rules and legislation.

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EA is part factory, part workshop and part in between.

Ten steps on the road to efficient – Seth Godin.

The EA Workshop – Explorers and scientists. A laboratory. It might not work. Mutual support, shared information and a commitment to the process of discovery. – Adapted from Seth Godin.

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EA Participation

From the people who do the work and make the decisions.

elections.gov.au

The single website for every election and every election stakeholder. Main tabs – very top of website:

Voters

Candidates, Parties and Groups

Elections and Electorates

Elections Australia

MyGov

Elections Australia (EA) maintains a presence through MyGov, allowing a voter to access and update a level of personalised information such as enrolment, electorate, voting and election employment information. Where a voter can vote in person is determined by their enrolled address. Electors get (limited) compulsory updates in the lead up to eligible electoral events.

The EA Style Guide

Greyscale is the style guide for Elections Australia and its’ electoral events.

• Organisational colour – Greyscale. Smart and clean.
• Primary staff vest colour – Undyed. Branded.
• Voting Place staff clothing colour – Greyscale, neutral or near neutral tones preferred.
• Typography and Design – Clean, clear, modern, beautiful, high legibility. Consistent across most / all public facing messaging including voting papers.
• Voting Papers – EA determines the form of the voting paper. A complete refresh with a modern standardised presentation, consistent for every voting system. 100% post-consumer recycled paper stock. Clear, highly legible, eye pleasing typography. Potentially some limited branding elements to differentiate between electorates. Standardised (by voting system), explicit, rigorous, tested language use and instructions to complete voting paper. See ABS Forms Design Standards.
• External Promotion of Voting – Have strict, standard, compulsory ways for any non-EA representation of a voting paper or voting process.
• Results – How results are presented.

Launch – National. VBVA / SiA.

Early – Welcome (repeat / faces). Welcomes / Process. T… i E. Journey via VoPap. FirstTime as solo till end. Walk through. hello… I speak v. / pop up v. / teach how. Moves towards below campaign concepts. VoPap to VoBo.

Key Messages (ongoing) – Must be correctly enrolled.

• Voting Place
• Voting Paper
• Voting Box
• Voting Place Manager
• Assistant Voting Place Manager
• Voting Assistant
• Extended Voting Assistant
• Voting Service
• Voting Service Manager
• Assistant Voting Service Manager (Very Remote, Remote and Outer Regional Australia only)
• Voting Service Assistant
• Election Observer
• Election Manager
• Election Results
• All Preference Voting
  • Validity and First Preference Count
  • Fresh Validity and First Preference Count
  • Preliminary Preference Count
  • All Preference Count

Voting Paper Instructions

Stronger, clearer, more direct, explanatory voting paper instructions. Examples:

“All Preference Voting” is the clearer, more explicit title for Full Preference Voting. [Consider “Instant-runoff voting” (Wikipedia) for EA Live.]

With instructions – “Rank every candidate from most preferred “1” to least preferred “X”. You must use the numbers 1, Y with no repetitions or omissions.”

[X is the total number of candidates for the electorate. Y is each comma separated, individual number from 2 to the total number of candidates for the electorate.]

Intentional Invalid Voting, Unintentional Invalid Voting and Savings Provisions

As part of the harmonisation and standardisation of voting and voting papers, design fresh system wide responses with specific solutions to underlying invalid voting circumstances without the sometimes fall back of savings provisions.

Elections Australia Live!

Run by EA Participation (alongside a suite of other voter facing initiatives), EA Live is an online, livestream broadcast of results across the relevant results period of an election. It runs alongside any counting of voting papers.

Tying into Results (below), EA Live reports counted numbers. There are no projections, political analysis or political commentary. It’s very intentionally not like everything else.

EA Live is politically and issue neutral but smart, accessible and passionate with a little personality. It’s must watch and/or a companion to others.

Interspersed with results is information about voting and electoral processes. Understanding of voting systems and elections are embedded into practical real time examples.

eg. a low first preference candidate from a random electorate is displayed with an explanation of how those votes then get distributed.

eg. “An intentionally invalid vote isn’t a protest; it’s making sure you’re ignored.”

“Your best protest is a valid vote.”

Give the explicit statement and acknowledgement that if you intentionally vote invalid, your vote is ignored and since someone is going to be elected anyway, why not take that last step and vote validly. No politician or candidate ever sees your voting paper and the voting official looking at your voting paper doesn’t care about your written or unwritten protest, they care about your numbering. Voting is a strictly regulated activity and if you want to protest or rage against the world, an incorrectly filled out voting paper is not the right way or place. Though your most preferred candidate may or may not get elected, next election and every election after, vote validly and if you’re not sure how, ask.

Voting as an act is a very specific construct. A voting paper is only looking for a completed sequence of numbers. The numbers are signals you’re sending. Someone on the ballot paper for your electorate is going to be elected, so why not have a say on the matter. The end.

If your preferred candidate is eliminated, your vote is used to elect someone you prefer over others in the running. As a voter, you rank candidates and your vote is transferred according to your preferences for the next alternate candidate, as long as they haven’t been previously eliminated.

EA Live runs over the 3 main results periods – Both Validity and First Preference Counts, Preliminary Preference Counts and All Preference Counts. EA Live may also run in the lead up to electoral events.

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EA Operations

Nationally and distributively led. Primarily enabled by Operations Groups.

Enrolment

EA centrally manages a single List of Voters (roll). Compulsory, automatic enrolment. All enrolment processing and updates to be done online. No public access to roll information.

Logged in via MyGov, gives you personalised Voting Places / Voting Services. Not logged in, requires you to enter the postcode of your enrolled address to get list of Voting Places / Voting Services.

Voting

Vote In-Person Legislation

To simplify legislation and reduce any eligibility restrictions and/or impediments, early voting and election day come together into a single legislated area of voting in-person.

Voting Places

A location used for voting, for which EA holds primary operational control. Semi-permanent in nature and publicly available, there are 10-Day, 5-Day and 1-Day Voting Places (more below).

Voting Services

A location used for voting, for which EA does not hold primary operational control. Temporary in nature, a voting service is offered in 3 scenarios:

• A Very Remote, Remote and Outer Regional Australia locality where it is not feasible to establish a Voting Place. More below. Offered prior to the start of 10-Day Voting Place operations and completes by the end of all voting.
• A group of persons that may be unable to attend a Voting Place and require additional assistance to vote. See Voting Access Strategy below. Offered prior to the start of 10-Day Voting Place operations and completes by the start of the week of 5-Day Voting Place operations.
• A contingency voting pathway, eg. localised flooding closes one or more Voting Places or an earlier medical situation at an aged care facility. Offered until the end of all voting at any permitted location/s, date/s and time/s that EA deem it necessary to be offered.

Vote In-Person Framework

The framework is single, cohesive foundation for a consistency of in-person voting, showing what type and number of:

• Voting Places are to be offered in Major Cities of, Inner Regional, Outer Regional, Remote and Very Remote Australia and;
• Locality based Voting Services are to be offered in Outer Regional, Remote and Very Remote Australia.

To allow for a comprehensive coverage of populations, use the Significant Urban Areas, Urban Centres and Localities, Section of State and Section of State Range of the Australian Statistical Geography Standard’s Urban Structure (proposed release / update – October 2027), as the structure of and coding for 10-Day, 5-Day and 1-Day Voting Places and Voting Services. Also Town Points via the Digital Atlas of Australia.

Balancing geographic spread, venue availability and expected votes taken, overlay historic voting place attendance patterns and electorate boundaries to act as a cross-check. Potentially align with postcodes (as used for searching voting options).

At completion, there is a framework map, with each intended Voting Place and Voting Service including votes offered, noting its’ respective home federal, state/territory and local government electorates including any expected cross-event differences. The Framework sits alongside the Staffing framework, as overviewed below.

Every Voting Place is considered an individual entity and is “activated” upon an electoral event falling within decided boundaries.

Voting Places and Voting Services are then enacted beginning with 10-Day and 5-Day Voting Places, intended to be persistently available as “on-call” venues with the highest accessibility, eg. local government halls. Voting Place offering and locations consider expected votes taken, venue capacity and venue accessibility across a locality, without regard for artificial venue caps.

The Framework should be reviewed as required including following every electoral event with feedback from Voting Place and Voting Service Managers.

Very Remote, Remote and Outer Regional Australia

Lead by an Operations Group (more below), these are single collective teams (based around an assigned land area with one or more bases) offering determined Voting Places and Voting Services.

Select locations may be staffed more than once during the voting period. Voting in these areas may commence prior to the start of 10-Day Voting Place operations and conclude on the final day of all voting. Include contingencies.

Framework for Operations Groups

Sitting between a completely centralised operation and individual electorates, an “Operations Group” is a persistent coordination structure and enactment body to support collections of Voting Places, Voting Services and other voting-related activities that take place for any electoral event (including overseas) within the respective Groups’ assigned area of geographic responsibility.

A Group ensures it has the necessary physical requirements to undertake required duties across its’ designated electorates such as offices, warehouses, materials and people.

Group activities include managing voting places and voting services, materials coordination, certain vote counts, Absent Vote and Provisional Vote handling and some EA Participation activities.

Structured through this framework, Operations Group work is primarily coordinated and managed nationally (by EA as a distributed organisation), part transitioning to Operations Groups during an electoral event.

Groups maintain broad employment categories (from permanent to single shift), across a distributed and in-person workforce. The staffing model (below) expands further and contains an allowance for permanent “on call” staffing in every Group.

Groups Delineation Model

This is an expansion of the Vote In-Person Framework.

As Groups are logistical and operational bodies, a good starting point is to overlay the Australian Statistical Geography Standard’s Remoteness Structure over the earlier Voting In-Person Framework map. “Remoteness Areas divide Australia and the states and territories into 5 classes of remoteness on the basis of their relative access to services.” – Major Cities, Inner Regional, Outer Regional, Remote and Very Remote. The proposed update release for the Remoteness Structure classification is March 2028.

Logical and realisable sets of remoteness area connected regions / electorates are formed. This may be broadly in line with Australian Statistical Geography Standard’s Urban Structure, Census Field Areas, SA4’s, SA3’s, Destination Zones, Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia or other.

Each agreed set of remoteness area connected regions / electorates become a Group. A Group may consistent of one or more remoteness areas and may exist across state / territory borders (with necessary reporting functions remaining).

When an election is called, the Operations Group takes on responsibility for its’ relevant electorate/s. Theoretical Group examples:

EA Operations – Very Remote and Remote Group/s*

Example. Group covers O’Connor (WA), Durack (WA), Lingiari (NT), Grey (SA), Kennedy (QLD), Leichhardt (QLD), Parkes (NSW)(possible) and overlapping state / territory and local electorates (as decided).

EA Operations – Remote and Outer Regional Group/s*

EA Operations – Outer Regional and Inner Regional Group/s*

EA Operations – Inner Regional Group/s

EA Operations – Major Cities Group/s

Example. Inner South West (Sydney) Group. Group covers Watson (NSW), Banks (NSW), Barton (NSW) and overlapping state / territory and local electorates (as decided).

The Groups structure is updated following any electorate boundary change and following any update of the ABS’s Australian Statistical Geography Standard.

*The second half of these groupings are enclaves and/or exclaves of their surrounding remoteness areas.

An outcome may look like the 206 (or groupings of) Area Management Boundaries of the Census Field Area Map 2026 mapped against the ABS Remoteness Structure and adjusted as above. Or start here.

10-Day, 5-Day and 1-Day Voting Places

Following the Voting Places Framework, Voting Places will be available to voters for 10 days, 5 days or 1 day; not including Sundays or public holidays (exact details to be worked on for the latter).

Each variant of Voting Place has a different mix of votes taken and each Voting Place is led by a single team regardless of size, expected votes taken or number of electoral events being contested.

Federal election example used; other elections follow similarly. Suggested hours are based on a maximum daily employment span of 10 hours – excluding the final voting day which includes the counting and reconciliation of voting papers.

Venue Type	Votes Taken	Opening Hours
10-Day Voting Places	– 1 or more Local Electorate Votes – Intrastate and Interstate Electorate Votes — includes Absent Votes Provisional Votes	Wednesday – 9:30am to 5:30pm Thursday – 9:30am to 6:30pm Friday – 9:30am to 6:30pm Saturday – 9:30am to 4:30pm Monday – 8:30am to 5:30pm Tuesday – 8:30am to 5:30pm* Wednesday – 8:30am to 5:30pm Thursday – 8:30am to 5:30pm Friday – 8:30am to 5:30pm Saturday – 8:30am to 4:30pm**
5-Day Voting Places	– 1 or more Local Electorate Votes including a determined set of Intrastate and/or Interstate Electorate Votes in line with the Voting In-Person Framework — includes Provisional Votes	Tuesday – 9:30am to 5:30pm* Wednesday – 8:30am to 5:30pm Thursday – 8:30am to 5:30pm Friday – 8:30am to 5:30pm Saturday – 8:30am to 4:30pm**
1-Day Voting Places	– 1 or more Local Electorate Votes — includes Provisional Votes	Saturday – 8:30am to 4:30pm**

*This is the same day.

**This is the same day and includes pack down and vote counting.

Electronic Device Mark-Off

All in-person voting uses electronic devices (with contingencies) to record voter names against the List of Voters.

Changes to Enrolment

With all enrolment processing and updates done online, discontinue any manual processing of a voter’s identification at the time of issuing a vote.

If an in-electorate or absent voter – who is able to be issued a vote – needs to update their enrolment, they are issued a small card featuring a QR code. The QR code is a link to an EA webpage to update their enrolment. The Voting Assistant adds a uniquely generated code from the vote issued page. The single use code is entered by the voter on the QR coded enrolment page and “fast tracks” the process offering a level of personalisation (ie. their current enrolment details) and directions on how to update their enrolment.

For a provisional voter, see below.

Absent and Provisional Vote Envelopes 1

In line with the above, overhaul and simplify the way absent votes and provisional votes are taken, such as printed or pre-printed voting certificates, Voting Place ID and Voter Receipt ID and/or generated Tracking ID, etc.

Blank Absent Vote Certificate and Provisional Vote Certificate printed on opposite sides of the same envelope. Absent – flap side.

Absent Voting

Dramatically simpler process whereby the vote is fully processed at the time of voting, with the completed Absent Vote Envelope acting as a receipt.

The voter is verbally asked all the questions as if they were an in-electorate voter. Once the Extended Voting Assistant electronically marks off the voter, the Assistant completes an Absent Vote Envelope comprising the electorate and voting place details and a generated Tracking ID from the vote issued page, then signs and dates. The voter writes their name, signs and dates confirming their declaration.

Voting paper/s issued. Voter votes. Voting paper/s in envelope and secure.

While the completed Absent Vote envelope will be further collated and transported by EA, the enclosed vote is now considered ready for counting.

Provisional Voting

Provisional Vote Envelope comprises voter’s name, any other names they’re known by, date of birth, residential address, any previous residential address/es, phone, email, signature and date. Extended Voting Assistant adds electorate and voting place details and a generated Tracking ID from the vote issued page, then signs and dates.

“We want to ensure your voting experience is smoother for all future elections…” Give voter a small card featuring a QR code (which links to an EA webpage to update their enrolment) “…and when you’re able, you should update your enrolment and also confirm your enrolment prior to next electoral event. That would be great.”

Voting paper/s issued. Voter votes. Voting paper/s in envelope and secure.

Absent and Provisional Vote Envelopes 2

At each Voting Place, at the end of each day of voting, absent and provisional vote envelopes should be reconciled to their mark-off, then collated (by electorate, voter last name), repacked and sealed in a combined Voting Envelope “Container” with all previous days’ envelopes. EA guidance should be clear that completed envelopes (containing votes) are placed into Voting Envelope “containers” (not “voting boxes”), allowing for containers to be opened and reconciled on a daily basis.

Voting Access Strategy

A fresh strategy for groups of people who may need additional assistance to access and/or be involved in the voting process such as boarding houses, accommodation for people with a disability, residential aged care accommodation (not self contained), tertiary student accommodation, staff accommodation, crisis and welfare accommodation and correction institutions. Includes pre-election visits to update enrolment. It is some of these groups who may be offered a Voting Service.

Led by EA Participation and enabled by Operation Groups.

Voters Requiring Additional Assistance

Held from 60 minutes after the start of voting on the first Thursday, first Friday and second Wednesday at 10-Day Voting Places and Wednesday at 5-Day Voting Places.

Voting Places have extra assistance for groups of voters who may require it. eg. language or access assistance. Potentially use first time voter script (below).

Optionality for groups to register.

Led by EA Participation and enabled by Operation Groups.

First Time or Recently New Voter Sessions

Held on the first Thursday and first Friday of voting at 10-Day Voting Places from 5:30pm – 6:30pm.

For first time (or recently new) voters and optionally 1-2 guests. No filming and must be correctly enrolled prior to attendance.

Attendees get an approx. 10 minute session (no technology, few paper props) with an informal but smart presentation starting with reminder of why no filming, then how to cast a valid vote and how counting works in that election. Attendees then get to vote. Thanks for coming. Run it 2-3 times during the period.

Presenters are the Voting Place’s manager unless otherwise arranged but must be a competent and confident presenter. Script has to be just right. EA Participation may film.

Think how museums have late night opening visiting hours and programs. Optionality for attendees to register.

Led by EA Participation and enabled by Operation Groups.

Pre-count Voting Paper Stock

To save time and reduce workload pressure at Voting Places, check count individual voting papers stock (to bundles of 100) before they get sent out to Voting Places.

Discontinue Manual Administration for Voter Flow

With real time recording of votes being issued, discontinue any manual administration related to the tracking and/or recording of voter flow, voters or vote counts during the operation of the voting place. Any specific notes on this topic should be recorded by the Voting Place Manager on their computer and able to be centrally viewed in real time, with any issues raised and resolved.

Outside the Voting Place and Non-EA Promotion of Voting

There is a lot of activity currently going on in this space, so this will be returned to further at a later time.

The EA Style Guide covers any non-EA representation of a voting paper or voting process, including that strict systems are in place so no canvasser of a voter is able to “game” or workaround the validity system in any way.

EA may offer a “postmaster” style of centralised candidate / party information to be used outside the voting place.

Vote By-Post Framework

Elections Australia x Australia Post. The collaboration.

EA takes sole management of and authority for postal voting. Through MyGov, move to a single system of online processing for Continuing Postal Voters and single election postal voters. Think a subscription service.

The date for the close of postal vote applications should consider the time requirements for postal votes to reach applicants. There may be an earlier cut off date for voters who wish to have their voting papers sent to an overseas location.

The date for the close of return of postal votes should consider the time requirements for postal votes to reach EA.

Ability to receipt dropped off postal votes through Voting Place Manager’s computer.

Actively monitor the connection between the numbers of postal vote applications, postal votes being sent out and postal votes being returned to see if the difference in these amounts can be actively reduced. There should be an opt-out process should the method of voting no longer be required.

Particularly for Continuing Postal Voters, any applicant who does not return distributed voting papers get a first reminder (through MyGov) to ensure they are still eligible for and require the service. Following a second consecutive election of non-return of voting papers, the Continuing Postal Voter’s subscription is paused. The voter must renew their subscription, agreeing to the application criteria to ensure they remain eligible for and wish to continue the voting method.

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Counting

There are multiple voting systems used in Australia and all will be included. The structure and explanation of the count is intentionally very explicit. One widespread and transferable example is shown.

Counting for a Single Member, All Preference Voting election

Count Name	Count Purpose	Count Location and Timing
Validity and First Preference Count	To determine if each voting paper is valid or invalid and the counting of all valid voting papers’ first preference votes.	Voting Places – Following the close of voting on the final day of all voting. An Operations Group counting location (voting service, postal, absent, provisional votes) – from Monday after the close of all voting.
Fresh Validity and First Preference Count	A second count of the above.	An Operations Group counting location – from Monday after the close of all voting and following the respective Validity and First Preference Count.
Preliminary Preference Count	To determine a leading candidate with an indicative preference count for the candidates with the most first preference votes from all valid voting papers.*	An Operations Group counting location – from Tuesday after the close of all voting and following the Fresh Validity and First Preference Count.
All Preference Count	To determine the elected candidate with the distribution of all valid voting papers’ preferences.	An Operations Group counting location – following the close of return for Postal, Absent and Provisional Votes.

* Includes an option to not conduct a Preliminary Preference Count in various scenarios such as if a candidate reaches 50%+1 of first preference votes or if there are 3-4 candidates in a determined (similar) range of first preference vote totals.

Voting Place Managers manage their respective Validity and First Preference Count at their respective Voting Place. As EA will have real time voting totals, an escalating allocation of extra staff should be assigned to 10-Day and 5-Day Voting Places for the end of voting, the Validity and First Preference Count, return of materials and any other end of Voting Place matter.

During counting, a non-initialised voting paper may be found. The Voting Place Manager inspects the Voting Paper to ensure its’ authenticity and if satisfied as authentic, writes “AVP” (authentic voting paper) followed by their initials on the back of the voting paper. Similar for any Operations Group counts.

For 10-Day and 5-Day Voting Places there may be a small number of LA voting papers in the LC voting boxes, so there should be a slightly increased variable tolerance allowed when first reporting LA results. These LC voting boxes should all be opened, unfolded and compactly re-stored in voting boxes on the Monday after the final day of voting; primarily to find any errant LA voting papers, as well as to prepare for counting.

[Potentially / if any uncertainty]. Once the votes are counted and before the results are finalised, conduct a verification of the count. 1-2 person/s selected by the Voting Place Manager, eg. the Assistant Voting Place Manager or a competent Voting Assistant, should overview and compare all counts to the completed reconciliation ensuring all figures match; it’s a check, not a recount. This process may include Absent and Provisional Votes. Any errors should be investigated by the Voting Place Manager. The person/s who completed the verification signs the voting paper statement sheet/s in an area at the bottom titled “Verified By:”.

Develop a system (including verification and contingencies) where all results can be entered electronically through the Voting Place Manager’s assigned computer.

No centralised Operations Group counts are held on the final day of voting.

Validity and First Preference Count

Sort 1

Voting papers are confirmed as being authentic. Each voting paper is inspected and sorted into Invalid and Valid.

Invalid

• Writing or drawing that may be able to identify the voter. Any other writing or drawing is ignored.
• No numbering in or beside one or more voting squares or candidate names. 
• Tick/s, cross/es and/or non-numerical symbol/s used to represent a numerical sequence.
• One or more number/s in the allowed sequence are repeated, omitted or out of accepted range.

Valid

A relevant and complete number sequence in or beside the voting squares or candidate names. No invalid criteria are met.

Sort 2

Sort valid voting papers’ to their first preference candidate.

Count

Count the total of each candidate’s Valid first preference voting papers and the total Invalid voting papers.

Fresh Validity and First Preference Count

As above but may include a further breakdown of the Invalid vote for internal purposes.

Voting Place Counts Undertaken Following the End of Voting

Federal election example used – other elections follow similarly. Vote counts undertaken at the final day of all voting:

Venue Type	LA Voting Papers LC Voting Papers Envelopes
10-Day Voting Places	LA – Validity and First Preference Count. LC – No count. ENV – Complete final envelope collation.
5-Day Voting Places	LA – Validity and First Preference Count. LC – No count. ENV – Complete final envelope collation.
1-Day Voting Places	LA – Validity and First Preference Count. LC – Sort for reconciliation. ENV – Provisional only. Complete envelope collation.

Return of Voting Materials to Operations Group

Do a layered series of realistic closure plans (including additional staff) for Voting Places depending on number of votes taken, length of operation, remoteness area and how late staff should stay on the final day of voting (not late!). eg. There will be 10-Day Voting Places that take no more than 2000-2500 votes and there will be 10-Day Voting Places that take many multiples of 2000-2500 votes.

Progressive return of LC Voting Boxes (as required) for 10-Day and 5-Day Voting Places.

Results

For a simpler, cleaner results presentation, results are reflective of counted votes. The method/s of presentation best represent the matter/s being presented. In parallel with EA Live! (as above). Full voting paper preference data is later made public.

When one or more elections are being held across more than one jurisdiction (or Operations Group coverage area), delay any report of voting results until voting in all jurisdictions has concluded. Legislate including penalities.

There are multiple voting systems used in Australia and all will be included. One widespread and transferable example is shown.

Results Presentation for a Single Member, All Preference Voting election

A thing of beauty, simplicity and information. Count descriptions above.

Count Name	Results Presentation
Validity and First Preference Count* Fresh Validity and First Preference Count*	A vertical column or bar chart and supporting numerical table. Listed in descending candidate order by valid votes’ first preferences, visualised on a darker to lighter greyscale.** Includes a separate representation of invalidity.
Preliminary Preference Count	A simple explanatory paragraph / table.
All Preference Count	100% stack bar graphs.***

* As the same set of Voting Papers, these two counts are represented as a single count, with any later (more recent) count overriding any earlier count.

** There remains misunderstanding of how the electoral system works. I’m very cautious about the representation of figures that are not strictly current counts and comparisons that are not directly comparable (ie. swings). Maybe an option for a simple table showing the electorate wide or leading candidate / party first preference vote change (by %) for directly comparable candidates / parties of the current event.

*** Example at https://antonygreen.com.au/fed2025-calwell-distribution-of-preferences/

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At the conclusion of all Count/s, there will be an elected candidate/s. Have a single model where a Recount may be considered, if one or more considerations are met. These may be automatic (eg. very close % final vote difference between the elected candidate and next in line) or manual (accusation of impropriety, etc.). If the conditions are met, a determined Recount process is followed.

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Framework for Electoral Event Staffing

Through MyGov, coordinate a new, single, persistent electoral staffing workforce, including the maintenance of a level of continuous “on-call” workforce, made up of more permanent, expert and experienced election officials.

Coordinated and managed nationally, part transitioning to Operations Groups in the lead up to and during an electoral event.

Start with a greyscale map of the country with every Voting Place and Voting Service mapped, and every Voting Assistant mapped to their enrolled address. First, Voting Assistants are automatically assigned to their nearest Voting Place with the most experienced assigned as Extended Voting Assistants. As positions increase in seniority, have increasing levels of manual placement.

Voting Place Managers and Assistant Voting Place Managers provide feedback on their staff by ranking each on a scale of 3 options; from best to not good – Employ First, Suitable, Consider. Internally, each rank is assigned a point value; 3, 2, 1 for VPM ratings and 1.5, 1, 0.5 for AVPM ratings respectively.

The VPM’s post voting work is also assessed at natural / assessable touchpoints such as the packing quality of returned materials, ability to complete voting return, communication with supervisors, etc.

Connected to a person’s employment profile, totals are developed into a tiered ranking model (E1, E2, E3, E4) upon which future employment decisions can be made. Over time, weight towards most recent employment first.

10-Day, then 5-Day VPM’s / AVPM’s are the best available, preferably experienced staff.

At Voting Places where an agreed (low) volume of absent and provisional votes are expected to be taken, this work area comes under the responsibility of the Assistant Voting Place Manager.

Move away from use of hiring agencies.

This model potentially connects to other large scale, similar employment options such as Census, emergencies, government.

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Introduce slightly higher pay scales for the top tier of non-permanent voting staff and include these staff more permanently in the organisation.

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A central continuously updated central repository of all operational information for all staff.

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Utilising the best combined trainers / election officials, overhaul the training model for all election event staff with input from people who’ve competently done the job many times. For example, 10-Day and 5-Day VPM/AVPM need a lengthened, comprehensive, centrally coordinated program.

Potentially for training, 5-Day VPM’s / AVPM’s may do a full day of work / shadowing on the 3rd or 4th day of select 10-Day Voting Places, including pre-open and post-close.

Where possible, non-voter facing EA staff should attend a 10-Day or 5-Day Voting Place to observe for a part-day.

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