KEY MESSAGING
2022 federal election telephone voting system
Last updated 28 March 2022 – wil be updated progressively as more details are confirmed
About the telephone voting service
• We know that some people will be in isolation or quarantine under a public health order during
the election and wil not be able to vote in person.
• People can check if they are eligible to vote early if they don’t think they can make it to a
polling place on election day. Eligible people can:
o vote at one of our early voting centres, or
o apply for a postal vote by visiting aec.gov.au. Postal voting applications close at 6pm the
Wednesday before election day.
• The AEC may establish a telephone voting service if it’s required, after applications for postal
voting close for people who are unable to vote in person due to COVID-19.
Who can use the service
• People directed to isolate or quarantine under a public health order may be eligible to register to
vote by phone after 6pm the Wednesday before election day up until 2pm (TBC) on election day.
o This expanded telephone voting service is an emergency measure for the 2022 federal
election.
o Voters accessing the telephone voting service should be prepared for potentially long wait
times.
o Voters will need to make a declaration and provide evidence of their eligibility for
telephone voting due to COVID-19.
o Exact eligibility criteria for the service will be made available soon.
Safety and privacy
• Integrity is a core AEC value ingrained into all aspects of our operation. The telephone voting
service is no different. Personal details are only used to register as an eligible voter. Our voter
registration systems are designed to protect personal details and have been independently
assessed for security compliance.
• Telephone voting wil involve a two-step process to ensure anonymity of voters and the secrecy
of the vote.
o Voters will register, provide a PIN and receive a voting registration number. This will de-
identify the voter and ensure confidentiality of votes.
o Voters then cal the telephone service to vote.
o Voters must provide the PIN and registration number before they can vote. Votes remain
secret because the AEC voting assistant will not know the voter’s name and address.
Bal ot paper security
• The AEC’s Ballot Paper Principles apply, and ballot paper security arrangements will be consistent
with other polling places.
• A Quality Assurance framework will be in place to ensure procedural integrity.
• All call centre staff will have to declare political neutrality.
• The AEC systems used for registration have had all appropriate cyber security assessments.
• The electoral roll is checked for instances of prior voting in the election when they register and
again when they call to vote. No-one will be able to cast a vote by telephone if they have already
been marked as voting.
AEC experience in telephone voting
• Telephone voting is a service that the AEC has operated previously for Australian voters who are
blind or have low vision.
• The telephone voting service for COVID-affected electors is based on these existing services and
has been adapted for scale and eligibility requirements.
• The telephone voting service for voters who are blind or have low vision and voters in Antarctica
will operate separately and will not be affected by the expanded service for voters affected by
COVID-19.
Scrutineering and the telephone voting service
• A process will be available for scrutineers.
• Scrutineering is a fundamental part of the delivery of Australian federal elections. This is being
planned as part of the scaling up of the telephone voting service for this once-in-a-generation
pandemic federal election.
More information
• More information will be made available to eligible people ahead of the telephone voting period.
• Information on other ways to vote are at aec.gov.au
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Is this a form of online voting?
No. Legislation does not currently allow for any form of online voting. The only part of this process to
take place online is a registration option. Each vote call results in a physical ballot paper being filled
in and counted in the same way as all other ballot papers.
What’s the process to ensure the vote is taken correctly by the cal centre operators?
The call centre operator reads back the preferences to the voter once finished, and voters can
request for a different operator to do this. All operators will be required to declare political
neutrality.
What if the cal wait times are longer than people are wil ing to wait?
Voting is compulsory, however voters with a valid and sufficient reason for not voting will not be
fined. Voters in this situation can tell us why they cannot vote via email (TBC).
Voters in the telephone queue at 6pm local time wil stil be able to cast their vote, similar to the
queue at in person polling places.
How is the AEC ensuring my COVID-19 information is protected?
Voters’ COVID-19 health information is needed to determine eligibility for telephone voting under
the relevant laws including the
Electoral Legislation Amendment (COVID Enfranchisement) Bil 2022.
The AEC adheres to the Privacy Act and Australian Privacy Principles to ensure personal information
is protected. This includes the conduct of a third-party privacy impact assessment.
