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It differs from the first past-the-post system used in countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and India.
What is preferential voting?
A system largely unique to Australia, preferential voting requires citizens to individually number and rank all candidates on their ballot paper for both houses of parliament, according to their preferences.
It is employed when no one candidate or party wins outright, based on first preference votes.
Ultimately, it highlights a person’s vote can still be counted, even if their first choice of candidate is eliminated due to a lack of votes.
Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) spokesperson, Evan Ekin-Smyth told SBS News it’s “crucial” people come to the ballot box informed.
“And that’s not just knowing your candidates and what they’re about, it’s knowing how the preferential voting system works,” he said.
“It means you can rank candidates according to who is your most favourite or who you most want in parliament, according to your least favourite – who you least want in parliament.”
How does it work?
On polling day, the House of Representatives ballot paper is green while the Senate ballot paper is white.
Placing a number one against a candidate is considered the first preference or primary vote.
If no candidate secures an absolute majority of primary votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is then eliminated from the count.
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The votes for this excluded candidate are then transferred to the candidate numbered two on each of the ballot papers, the voter’s second preference.
This counting process continues until one candidate has more than half of the formal votes cast or an absolute majority and is therefore declared elected.
House of Representatives
There are two systems of preferential voting which elect the two sides of parliament – the House of Representatives and the Senate.
In the House, a single representative is elected for each contest. The voter must simply number the boxes according to their preferences.
Senate
Meanwhile in the Senate, multiple representatives are chosen for each state and the system is a little more complex.
The voter has two choices in which they can simply rank parties listed above the line on the ballot paper or, alternatively, they can number all the individual candidates, which are listed below the line.
If you vote above the line, you will need to number at least six boxes. Preferences are still in place with your vote endorsing the declared preferences of the party, allowing the party itself to control the flow of votes.
Voting below the line is more complicated and time consuming, requiring the voter to number at least twelve boxes of candidates.
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Key mistakes to avoid
According to the AEC, around five per cent of votes are considered ‘informal’ because people have made mistakes in how they voted, and those votes will not be counted towards the election result,
Some key mistakes to avoid include repeating a number on a ballot paper, skipping a number and not numbering all of the boxes.
“You’ve got to decide between your most favourite and your least favourite, even if there’s a few that you think are your equal least favourite, you’ve got to decide between them to make sure that your vote will be counted,” Mr Ekin-Smyth said.
“If you miss a box on the House of Representatives ballot paper, you risk having it not being heard.”
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