Search:

Preferential voting

Preferential voting is used in State and local council elections to ensure that the most preferred candidate(s) are elected. If your preferred candidate is not able to achieve the margin required for victory then your vote can be counted for your next preferred candidate.

Full preferential votingTop

An example of a full preferential ballot paper

Under the full preferential voting system, you need to place a 1 in the box against your preferred candidate on the ballot paper. Then you must number all of the remaining boxes in the order of your preference (2, 3, 4 and so on).

The system is called "full preferential" because you must number every box on the ballot paper. If you do not number every box correctly, your vote is considered informal and cannot be counted.

The full preferential voting system is used for the State Legislative Assembly (Lower House), and also for local council elections.

Optional Preferential votingTop

The optional preferential voting system is similar to the full preferential voting system. However, you do not need to number every box on the ballot paper.

You need to place a 1 in the box against your preferred candidate on the ballot paper. You must then number a minimum number of the remaining boxes in the order of your preference (2, 3, 4 and so on) according to the instructions on the ballot paper. You can number more boxes if you wish.

In Victoria, this system is only used when voting for the State Legislative Council (Upper House).

Whenever you are casting your vote in an election, always follow the instructions on the ballot paper to ensure your vote is formal and can be counted.

Above or below the line?Top

In some elections, a ballot paper that features a thick black line horizontally across the page is used (as shown below).

The boxes above this line represent the political parties, or groups, that have candidates in the election. The boxes below the line represent each individual candidate.

With this type of ballot you can vote either above or below the line but not both.

If you choose to vote above the line, you must only place a 1 in the box above the party or group you want to support. Your ballot paper will be counted according to the preferences on that party or group's registered group voting ticket.
If you choose to vote below the line, place a 1 in the box against your most preferred candidate and then number the required number of other boxes according to your preference. For the State Legislative Council (Upper House) you are only required to number a total of five preferences (i.e. 2, 3, 4 and 5), but can number more.