The Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum will occur on Saturday, October 14.
The query on the poll paper might be: “A Proposed Legislation: to change the Structure to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?”
We’re answering readers’ lingering questions concerning the Voice right here, however right here is data particularly on what to anticipate on referendum day.
When do polls shut?
Polling cubicles will open at 8am and shut at 6pm, native time. Individuals can vote at any polling place in their very own state and territory — for people who find themselves interstate, there might be particular interstate voting cubicles.
The poll paper will embrace a field the place voters write both “Sure” or “No”.
The Australian Electoral Fee (AEC) has a web based software that helps individuals discover a appropriate voting place. Early and postal voting are choices as properly — the AEC has extra data on that on its web site. Early voting locations shut Friday, and the deadline to use for a postal vote is 6pm on Wednesday, October 11.
Identical to on an election day, many polling locations will provide democracy sausages on the market. There may be a web based software for locating these as properly.
Voting is obligatory.
When will we all know the outcomes?
As a result of polls shut 6pm native time, some states will end voting later than others.
AEC commissioner Tom Rogers has mentioned he received’t have the ability to formally declare any states till postal votes have been counted. The return date for postal votes is 2 weeks after October 14.
The ABC’s Antony Inexperienced writes on his weblog that that delay doesn’t essentially imply we’ll have to attend two weeks to seek out out the outcome: “Except the outcome may be very shut, we’ll know the outcome on election night time. And if the polling is right, we could know the outcome in a short time … If Sure or No has a big lead on election night time when four-fifths of votes are counted, it’s extremely unlikely that the excellent one-fifth of the vote can overturn an election night time lead. Besides within the case of a really slim Sure lead.”
An AEC spokesperson informed Crikey: “The timing for when Australians get a sign of whether or not or not the referendum might be carried totally depends upon how shut the margin is.”
Journalists might be fed outcomes by means of the night through the AEC, the identical manner elections work.
What’s going to be on TV?
It’s protected to imagine all the main tv networks will provide stay protection of the vote depend.
The ABC will start its protection at 5.30pm AEDT and the individuals on display screen will reportedly embrace David Speers, Bridget Brennan, Patricia Karvelas, Laura Tingle, Isabella Higgins and Inexperienced. TV guides point out the protection will run till 10pm.
The Australian studies Sky Information will start its “in-depth protection” at 5pm AEDT. This system might be anchored by Kieran Gilbert, and the panel will embrace political editor Andrew Clennell and hosts Chris Kenny and Peta Credlin.
Sky’s protection will even embrace Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, Nationals chief David Littleproud, Indigenous affairs commentator Anthony Dillon and former Labor minister Stephen Conroy, in addition to hosts Paul Murray, Laura Jayes and northern Australian correspondent Matt Cunningham.
A 9 spokesperson informed Crikey: “We might be offering updates all through the day and devoted information protection within the night, together with a particular late bulletin.”
Seven had no data on its protection, however a TV information confirmed slots marked “The Voice referendum” at 7pm and 9.50pm.
How many individuals have voted early?
As of Sunday, October 8, the AEC had acquired 2,21,581 early votes. The fee had acquired 1,945,823 postal vote purposes, and 92,162 individuals had voted through an AEC cellular polling group.
