With yesterday’s announcement of a November 24th election, the election writs are likely to be officially announced on Wednesday this week. If you’re not currently enrolled, you must enrol to vote before 8PM on Wednesday 17th October. If you are enrolled but need to update your details, you have until 8PM Tuesday 23rd October to do so.
Note: if you mail your enrolment forms they probably won’t make the cutoff. Scan and email your completed form to info@aec.gov.au, or fax your completed form to the your local AEC office (find your division’s fax number here using postcodes).
For those of us who think we’re enrolled, verify your details!
Hat-tip to Greensblog, who also point out that:
You can also use the site to check your electorate information, learn more about the electoral system or find out the various ways you can vote.
Must update address details. Must update address details.
So … if I’m moving house this friday, do I need to update my address details today? Or can I get away with leaving it as the old address?
You can get away with it, Jobby.
I just rang the AEC to find out what electorate I now am in (I didn’t exactly move a long way) and they couldn’t confirm it. They have to get an “expert” to ring me back. If it turns out I am still in the same electorate, I’m not going to bother to change my details.
Thanks Darlene. I suspected as much, but it’s hard to know for sure.
I though I was enrolled but when I tried to confirm via the website it could not find my details. Nor could the friendly chap I spoke to at the AEC.
So I going to re-enroll but folks, check your details especially if you have moved in the past couple of years.
If when you get there, be sure to tell them that you’ve moved less than three months ago. Otherwise they won’t let you vote.
Anna, I’m sure I am enrolled. I voted in the state election no problems and sure I have a enrollment card somewhere. Not sure what has gone wrong but it does pay to check.
The website initially couldn’t find me until I plugged in the middle name, and are you absolutely sure that the friendly AEC chap wasn’t looking for someone named Sean?
Jobby: you’re actually meant to wait a month before changing your enrolled address. Vote from the old one.
Darlene: they try and detect people who haven’t updated their details and will chuck them off the rolls altogether after a while (this is the process). So no need to panic for this particular election if you’re in the same seat, but it’s worth doing it sooner or later.
On Friday morning I changed my details to my Perth address. Tomorrow when I get to Darwin I will have to change them back again! Such is the joy of sudden decisions.