Media responses – secure telephone voting
Topline talking points
• Telephone voting has been introduced as an emergency measure and is strictly only for
people who have tested positive to COVID after 6pm on the Tuesday evening before pol ing
day.
• It will be available from 8.30am Thursday 19 May.
• People who tested positive from Saturday 14 May until then should apply for a postal vote.
• To access the service electors must prove their eligibility and must have registered their
positive COVID-19 test – either a PCR or RAT – with their state or territory health authority.
This is a mandatory requirement.
• Images of the ballot papers will be available for voters to view on the AEC website, to ensure
those voting by telephone are able to complete the process as easily as possible.
• Voter verification will work the same for telephone voting as any other method – voters will
not be required to present identification in order to have their vote marked against the
electoral roll. Voters will be making a legal declaration about their identity, as they do when
voting in person or by post, and that they have not previously voted in this election.
• Previously, telephone voting was limited to voters who are blind or have low vision with just
over 2,000 votes taken via telephone in 2019.
• It is an emergency measure only and there will likely be long wait times to vote with this
service.
• Anyone who is able to visit a polling place should do so. There are more COVID-19 safety
measures in place than your trip to the local shops – so you can feel safe to turn up and
vote.
How secure telephone voting works
How wil telephone voting work?
There’s two steps for secure telephone voting.
First, people register to use the service on the AEC website. Voters will need to provide
evidence of being COVID-19 positive and make a declaration about their eligibility.
Once the registration form has been submitted, people wil get a registration number sent by
SMS or email. When they call to cast their vote, people will quote this registration number
rather than their name and address to protect the secrecy of their vote.
If people don’t have internet access, they can register over the phone. But we expect the vast
majority to register online.
We’re asking people to visit the AEC website and look at an image of the ballot papers and
consider their preferences before calling to vote. This will help make the voting process quicker
and reduce wait times for the service.
Then they will call 1800 413 960. They quote their registration number and a call centre
operator will record the vote.
How do people prove they’re COVID-19 positive?
People can only use the telephone voting service if they have registered their positive COVID-19
test – either a PCR or RAT – with their state or territory health authority. They’ll also need to
provide evidence of their PCR, such as date and time of positive test result, or evidence of their
RAT, such as serial number.
How can close contacts vote?
Close contacts no longer need to isolate. This means they can attend a polling place to vote in
person. We expect they will follow local health authority guidelines and take appropriate
COVID-19 safety measures.
What happens if a close contact has COVID-19 symptoms?
The AEC is recommending people plan their vote. If people don’t think they wil be able to
vote in person on election day, they may be eligible to apply for a postal vote or attend one of
our early voting centres. If a family member has COVID-19 in the week before the election,
close contacts may consider voting early in case they become symptomatic.
How wil COVID-19 positive people know about the service?
The AEC is running a voter services campaign, which explains to people their voting options if
they don’t think they will be able to vote in person on election day. This is available in up to 33
languages.
In addition, everyone who registers a positive COVID-19 test result with their state or territory
government will receive information on how to vote while in isolation. State and territory
COVID-19 web pages and call centres will also direct people to the AEC website to check their
voting options.
What are the operating hours?
Online registration
Opens
Wednesday 18 May 6.01pm AEST
Closes
Saturday 21 May
4pm AEST
Phone registration Thursday 19 May
8.30am to 5.30pm local time
Friday 20 May
8.30am to 5.30pm local time
Saturday 21 May
8am local time to 4pm AEST
Phone voting
Thursday 19 May
8.30am to 5.30pm local time
Friday 20 May
8.30am to 6pm local time
Saturday 21 May
8am to 6pm local time
If a registered COVID-19 positive telephone voter is on the line when voting closes at 6pm on
election day they wil be able to cast their vote, just as is the case for people in the queue at
6pm at an election day polling place.
Integrity of the service
Does this open up the possibility of people voting twice?
No. As part of the registration process, the voter’s name will be marked off the roll in real time.
If the voter has already voted they will not be able to register.
Voters also have to make a declaration when they cal to vote that they haven’t voted before in
this election.
How is the AEC ensuring electoral integrity given there wil be non-AEC cal centres taking votes?
All policies, procedures and training materials have been developed by the AEC in line with
our existing election and cal centre management procedures. As you’d expect, they’re
standardised, robust, and align with the electronically assisted voting provisions in the
Electoral Act.
If pushed
All staff working on the call centre are employees of the Australia Public Service and have
undertaken specific training for this service. They also must have signed a Political Neutrality
disclosure, and there are offences in the Regulation and lawful declarations that the elector
needs to make. Any breach is a criminal offence.
How is the service scrutineered?
Candidates and party-appointed scrutineers can observe the telephone voting process, as is the
case with every voting process we deliver. This is an important part of the transparency of
Australia’s election delivery. Voters can request a scrutineer not to observe their phone cal , if
that’s their preference.
The ballot paper handling requirements in call centres will be subject to the same stringent
ballot paper handling and reconciliation requirements as in-person polling places.
Votes will only be counted following secure return to the relevant divisional offices, which is
also conducted under scrutineer observation.
How wil the secure telephone votes be counted?
After the close of voting on election day, all the envelopes will be sorted, reconciled and
packed for secure dispatch to their home division. There, they’l be receipted, opened and the
bal ot papers counted.
Operation of the service
Who is delivering the cal centre?
The secure telephone voting service is being managed by the Australian Electoral Commission,
using a number of Commonwealth department cal centres.
Operators, like all people involved in the delivery of the election, are required to sign a political
neutrality declaration – a statement that they wil undertake their duties with impartiality.
How many people do you think wil cast a vote by phone?
COVID-19 case numbers continue to fluctuate. We’re working closely with the Department of
Health to model expected demand.
If pushed
The one thing we know is that COVID-19 is unpredictable. In saying that, if people are tracking
the number of daily COVID-positive case numbers this should give them an idea of the number
of calls we’re expecting.
While experts are predicting numbers to plateau, we’re building a service that will cater for
above the expected demand, so that there’s coverage if a new variant emerges or numbers
unexpectedly rise in the week prior to the election.
If further pushed
We’ll have approximately 7000 operators for this service. While a significant delivery scale has
been stood up in a short time frame, we’ve been very upfront that the nature of the service
will mean people may experience a wait.
How many how people voted by phone?
(From Sunday) XX people registered to vote by phone. We’re stil reconciling how many then
called to cast their vote by phone.
Last updated: 11 May 2022
Clearance: Kath Gleeson
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