Glossary
absent vote
A vote made at a polling place by an elector who is outside his or her own electoral district on election day.
absolute majority
More than 50% of the total formal votes (50%+1).
area
see Local Government Area
Australian Electoral Commission (AEC)
The independent statutory authority that maintains and update the Commonwealth electoral roll and conducts federal elections and referendums.
authorised roll
A roll of electors eligible to vote at the election.
ballot
A method of secret voting, normally in a written form.
ballot box
The sealed container where electors place their completed ballot papers.
ballot paper
The paper printed with the names of candidates, which a voter marks to record their vote in an election.
by-election
An election held to fill a casual vacancy on a council or in the Legislative Assembly if an elected representative dies or retires.
candidate
A person who stands for election to a parliament/council. Candidates can be nominated by political parties or stand as independents.
casual vacancy
A vacancy usually caused by retirement, death or resignation of a Member/Councillor.
check count
On the Sunday after election day, the ballot papers are checked and counted again at the returning officer’s office to ensure accuracy of the figures from the election night count.
coalition
A combination of two or more parties in parliament, usually to form the government or opposition.
compulsory enrolment
If you are 18 years and over and an Australian citizen you are required by law to enrol to vote for all three levels of government. This application must be sent to the Australian Electoral Commission within 21 days of becoming entitled to do so. A penalty applies for failing to enrol.
compulsory voting
Australian citizens, 18 years and over, are required by law to vote. If you do not have a valid reason for failing to vote, a penalty will apply.
constitution
A nation or state’s fundamental laws. The NSW Constitution is embodied in an Act of parliament and sets the framework for the system of state government, e.g. two houses of parliament.
Court of Disputed Returns
The Supreme Court sits as the Court of Disputed Returns to hear petitions challenging the validity of a state election.
declared institution (DI)
A hospital, nursing home or other facility appointed by the Electoral Commissioner and visited by election officials to take votes from residents who are unable to attend a polling place on election day.
declaration vote
A vote cast by an elector when the ballot papers are enclosed in an envelope containing a printed declaration signed by the elector - applies to pre-poll votes, postal votes, declared institution votes, absent votes and section votes.
declaration of poll/election
A formal statement of the result of a State or Local Government election.
democracy
Government on behalf of the people by their elected representatives.
disputed returns
A challenge regarding the validity of a Legislative Assembly or Legislative Council election. See Court of Disputed Returns.
district
Used for state elections, districts are geographical regions with clearly defined boundaries shown on electoral district maps containing approximately equal numbers of voters. Each district is represented by one of the 93 NSW Legislative Assembly seats. For the Legislative Council, the district is the whole state.
distribution of preferences
The process used to determine the winning candidate when no candidate wins an absolute majority of first preference votes.
division
Australia is divided into voting districts which are known as divisions for voting in federal elections.
donkey vote
A term to describe a ballot paper marked with preferences for candidates without consideration for their policies or abilities. Usually takes the form of the ballot paper being marked 1, 2, 3, 4 etc straight up (or down) a ballot paper.
dual polling place
The term given to a single premises which serves as a polling place for two or more districts.
election
The choosing by vote of a person or persons to hold office.
Election Funding Authority (EFA)
The Election Funding Authority is the statutory body responsible for administering the provisions of the Election Funding and Disclosures Act 1981. It is made up of the Electoral Commissioner as Chair and two Members appointed on the nominations of the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition.
elector
A person qualified to vote at an election.
Electoral Commissioner
The officer responsible for the registration of political parties, enrolment of electors, the preparation of lists and rolls of electors and the conduct of elections according to law.
electoral district
see district.
election management application (EMA)
A NSWEC developed computer programme to undertake administrative tasks including staffing; nominations; processing declaration votes and election results.
electoral offence
A breach of electoral law as specified in the Parliamentary Electorates and Elections Act 1912 or the Local Government Act 1993.
electors
Those on an electoral roll and certified to vote in an election.
enrol and vote
An eligible person, who attends a pre-poll voting location or a polling place on election day, who is not on the Authorised Roll, can enrol and vote, provided they have the appropriate identification (a NSW Photo Driver Licence or a NSW photo card issued by the Roads and Traffic Authority), and in some circumstances a citizenship number or an Australian passport number may also be required.
enrolment
The act of enrolling or having one’s name added to the list of electors entitled to vote. Australian citizens 18 years of age and over (with few exceptions) must enrol to vote.
exhausted votes
These are ballot papers which show no further valid preferences for any candidate and must, therefore, be set aside from the count.
federal government
The central or federal government is responsible for administration of functions enumerated in the Constitution on an Australia wide basis.
Federation
The unification of Australian colonies which formed the Australian nation on January, 1901.
formal vote
A ballot paper which has been correctly marked and counts in the outcome of the poll.
franchise
The right to vote.
general election
In NSW, general elections are held for all Legislative Assembly (93) seats and
half (21) of the Legislative Council seats every 4 years.
government
The exercise of political authority over the actions and affairs of the people. There are 3 levels of government in Australia - federal, state and local.
House of Representatives
The Lower House of the Australian Parliament.
how-to-vote card
A simulated copy of the ballot paper showing an elector how to mark the paper and vote for a particular candidate or party. These are usually handed out to voters by party workers at polling places on election day. You do not have to follow these cards. How you vote is up to you.
independent
A candidate standing for election, or an elected Member of Parliament or local council, who is not a member of a political party.
informal vote
A ballot paper left blank or wrongly marked that is excluded from the count. It does not contribute to the election of a candidate.
iVote
A Remote Electronic Voting System to enable eligible electors to vote using the telephone or the internet.
Legislative Assembly (LA)
The Lower House of the NSW Parliament has 93 Members, 1elected from each district.
Legislative Council (LC)
The Upper House of the NSW Parliament has 42 Members elected for an 8 year term, half of whom are elected at each general election.
Local Government Area
A subdivision of the state into geographical areas that councils are responsible for.
mandate
The authority given to a government and its policies through an electoral victory.
marginal seat
A seat held by a Member of Parliament with a small majority of votes.
Members of Parliament
All representatives elected by the people to serve them in parliament, but more commonly used for those in the Legislative Assembly.
nomination
The process by which a person applies to become a candidate for a State or Local Government election.
Opposition
The major party, or coalition of parties in parliament which has the next highest number of votes.
optional preferential voting
A voting system in which an elector shows by numbers their preferences for individual or groups of candidates but need not show a preference for every candidate or group listed.
ordinary vote
A vote cast at a polling place in the elector’s home district/area/ward on election day.
parliament
The legislative body, consisting of the elected representatives of the people, which determines the laws governing the nation or state. The candidates or political party holding the majority of seats forms the government.
party/candidate worker
A person who assists candidates by handing out how to vote cards.
political party
An organised group with a common political philosophy which seeks to win and retain public office. Party organisations support or endorse candidates who, if elected, usually vote as a group for its policies in parliament.
poll
Another word for an election, or in the local government context, a question put to the electors to seek its information and guidance on any matter.
polling place
A building such as a school or community hall, set up to take the votes of the local people.
postal vote
Electors who are outside their electoral district/local government area/ward on election day or are unable to attend a polling place during polling hours, may vote by post. Electors must apply for a postal vote prior to election day.
pre-poll vote
Electors who cannot vote on election day can apply to vote early at the office of a returning officer or at a pre-poll voting centre.
preferential vote
A vote for all candidates numbered in order of preference. Preferences of candidates with the least number of votes are then distributed to other candidates until one has sufficient votes to be elected. This system of vote counting is used in the Legislative Assembly elections.
President
The officer responsible for the conduct of business in the Legislative Council.
proportional representation
A system of voting designed to elect representatives in proportion to the amount of support each has in the electoral district. This system of voting is used in Legislative Council elections.
provisional enrolment
A 17 year old Australian citizen may apply for provisional enrolment to enable them to vote when they turn 18 years of age.
quota
The number of votes required by a candidate to be elected to the Legislative Council or a Councillor at Local Government Election. It is calculated by adding one to the result of the total number of formal votes divided by the number of vacancies plus one then rounding up any decimals. See proportional representation
recount
A second or further count of votes in an election.
redistribution
Changes in boundaries of electoral districts to account for population changes so that the number of electors in each district is equal, give or take 3%.
referendum
A vote taken to allow electors to express their view on a specific subject or issue.
registered general postal voter
Electors who cannot attend a polling place may apply to become a registered general postal voter so that ballot papers are automatically sent to them without having to apply for a postal vote at each separate election.
return of Writ/s
When the election is decided, the Writ/s are returned to the Governor with the name/s of the successful candidate/s added.
returning officer
The electoral officer responsible for conducting an election in an electoral district or council area.
roll
See authorised roll.
scrutineer
A person appointed by a candidate to ensure that electoral procedures and counting are undertaken in a proper manner.
seat
Another term for electoral district; used because the candidate elected then has a seat in parliament.
secret ballot
A vote made in secret.
Senate
The Upper House of the Australian Parliament.
silent voter
An elector whose address does not appear on the authorised roll for reasons of personal safety.
SmartRoll
Refers to the process of automatically enrolling an eligible person or changing their enrolment details based on details provided by a ‘trusted source’ such as the Roads and Traffic Authority.
Speaker
The officer responsible for the business of the Legislative Assembly.
suffrage
The right to vote in political elections.
tally room
A room where progressive voting figures are collected on election night and provisional results are announced.
term
The length of time a parliament may sit before having to call an election. NSW has fixed four year terms.
two candidate preferred count (TCP)
Two candidate preferred count refers to a distribution of preferences of the two candidates who are expected to come first and second in each electoral district. Often, but not always, these will be the candidates representing the Labor party and the Coalition (Liberal and National parties).
virtual tally room
This refers to the display on the NSW Electoral Commission’s website of the progressive voting figures on election night and in the days that follow to indicate where the count is up to and which candidates/parties have been elected.vote
The formal act by an elector in an election of choosing the candidate the elector most wants to be a their political representative.
voting screen
A small compartment or cubicle at the polling place where people fill in their ballot papers in secret at elections.
ward
Subdivisions, with approximately equal numbers of electors, of a local government area.
Writ
The document by which the Governor, or the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in by-elections, directs returning officers to conduct an election. The Governor issues Writs on the advice of the government.
