Glossary

GLOSSARY - V

Vote

An elector's indication of their preferred choice for a parliamentary representative, as indicated by the completion of a ballot paper.

There are several ways in which electors can vote:

• Ordinary Vote

  The elector goes to a polling place in the district for which he or she is enrolled, has his or her name crossed off the electoral roll and casts a vote.

• Absent Vote

  If an elector goes to a polling place outside the district for which he or she is enrolled they may be given an absent vote. The elector states the address they believe they are enrolled for, signs a declaration regarding their electoral information, receives ballot papers for that district and/or region and casts their vote. The completed ballot papers are then placed in an envelope attached to the declaration. The declaration is subsequently checked against the roll to determine the elector's eligibility and, if found to be correct, the ballot paper envelope is removed and sent to the appropriate district for inclusion in the final count.

• Early Vote (State)

  Under certain prescribed circumstances an elector may apply for a early vote (in person) or (by post). Usually this relates to an inability to attend a polling place on polling day. Early votes can be received up until 9 am on the Thursday following polling day at a State election, provided the early vote envelope carries a postmark that is not later than the close of polls.

• Early Vote (by post)

  A vote cast at a designated place before polling day, in person by an elector who will be unable to attend a polling place on polling day.

• Early Vote (In Person)

  A vote cast at a designated place before polling day, in person by an elector who will be unable to attend a polling place on polling day.

• Provisional Vote (State)

  A Provisional vote can be issued under certain circumstances. These include an elector who claims to have enrolled and whose name cannot be identified on the roll, whose name has been marked off in error; or whose eligibility has been objected to by a Scrutineer.

  The elector signs a declaration regarding their electoral information; receives the provisional ballot papers for the district and/or region that they have claimed enrolment for and casts a Provisional vote.

  The ballot papers are placed in an envelope attached to the declaration. The declaration is subsequently checked against the roll to determine the elector's eligibility, and if the voter is found to be eligible to vote, the ballot paper(s) are included in the count.

• Donkey Vote

  The preferential system of voting requires the voter to number the ballot paper boxes using consecutive numbers. A donkey vote is a term used to describe the manifest allocation of these numbers from top to bottom without due reference to the candidates.

  The marking of boxes on the ballot paper with 1, 2, 3 etc, in consecutive order from the top of the ballot paper to the bottom may of course genuinely reflect a voter's choice. Invariably, however, such markings are generally perceived as a donkey vote by observers unless there is evidence to the contrary.

  Nevertheless, a ballot paper marked in this way is a formal vote and as such the top position on a ballot paper is considered to be advantageous as it obtains first preference in a donkey vote.

• Reverse Donkey Vote

  A reverse donkey vote occurs when the ballot paper has been marked from top to bottom in descending numerical order eg. 8, 7, 6, 5 etc., without due reference to the actual candidates.

^top