Types of voting.
Australia's electoral system is in many respects a shining example of the fulfillment of democratic values. The secret ballot was first introduced in the Australian colonies in 1856 and all adult men and women over the age of 21 had the vote by 1908. By the end of the twentieth century, Australia could boast an electoral system that ranks among the fairest in the world.
Following the use of the first-past-the-post voting system, the Federal Parliament legislated to introduce the preferential voting system in the 1919 general election, although the new system was first used at a by-election in 1918. Proportional voting was introduced for Senate elections in 1949, heralding a new political era where minor parties such as the Democratic Labor Party (DLP) and the Australian Democrats could wield the balance of power in the upper house.
The Australian electoral system is administered by an independent statutory authority, the Australian Electoral Commission.
Secret Ballots in Australia
The essence of the secret ballot is that the voter's choice is made secretly without coercion. The Commonwealth Electoral Act requires the Australian Electoral Commission to provide separate voting compartments for voters. These compartments must be provided with a pencil. Voters are required to have their names crossed off an electoral roll when they arrive to vote. Their ballot paper contains no information other than a list of the candidates in the election and the initials of the polling official. After casting their vote in the voting compartment, they deposit the ballot paper in a sealed ballot box. Postal and absentee voters have their votes sealed in two envelopes in order to conceal their identity when the votes are opened and counted.
The secret ballot was first used in Victoria and South Australia following the granting of responsible government.
Other states introduced secret ballots as follows:
All Federal elections since 1901 have used the secret ballot.
Women and the Right To Vote
Australia led the world in granting political rights to women, although this table shows that progress was also slow, and it was not until 1926 that women were able to both vote and stand for all Houses of Parliament in all parts of the Commonwealth. The right to vote and sit in Parliament was confined to men and women over the age of 21 years. The Commonwealth rights excluded Aboriginal natives of Australia, Asia, Africa or the Pacific Islands except New Zealand, unless they already had the franchise at the State level. Aboriginal Australians were not granted the full franchise at the Federal level until 1962. At the Federation referendums of the late-1890s and the first Federal Election in 1901, only women from South Australia and Western Australia were entitled to vote. The first woman to win election to an Australian Parliament was Edith Cowan. She was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly district of West Perth in 1921 and held the seat until 1924.
Features Of A Democratic Electoral System
A democratic electoral system can be said to be one where:
In Australia, these qualities are achieved in a number of ways:
Following the use of the first-past-the-post voting system, the Federal Parliament legislated to introduce the preferential voting system in the 1919 general election, although the new system was first used at a by-election in 1918. Proportional voting was introduced for Senate elections in 1949, heralding a new political era where minor parties such as the Democratic Labor Party (DLP) and the Australian Democrats could wield the balance of power in the upper house.
The Australian electoral system is administered by an independent statutory authority, the Australian Electoral Commission.
Secret Ballots in Australia
The essence of the secret ballot is that the voter's choice is made secretly without coercion. The Commonwealth Electoral Act requires the Australian Electoral Commission to provide separate voting compartments for voters. These compartments must be provided with a pencil. Voters are required to have their names crossed off an electoral roll when they arrive to vote. Their ballot paper contains no information other than a list of the candidates in the election and the initials of the polling official. After casting their vote in the voting compartment, they deposit the ballot paper in a sealed ballot box. Postal and absentee voters have their votes sealed in two envelopes in order to conceal their identity when the votes are opened and counted.
The secret ballot was first used in Victoria and South Australia following the granting of responsible government.
Other states introduced secret ballots as follows:
- 1856 - Victoria & South Australia
- 1858 - New South Wales & Tasmania
- 1859 - Queensland
- 1893 - Western Australia
All Federal elections since 1901 have used the secret ballot.
Women and the Right To Vote
Australia led the world in granting political rights to women, although this table shows that progress was also slow, and it was not until 1926 that women were able to both vote and stand for all Houses of Parliament in all parts of the Commonwealth. The right to vote and sit in Parliament was confined to men and women over the age of 21 years. The Commonwealth rights excluded Aboriginal natives of Australia, Asia, Africa or the Pacific Islands except New Zealand, unless they already had the franchise at the State level. Aboriginal Australians were not granted the full franchise at the Federal level until 1962. At the Federation referendums of the late-1890s and the first Federal Election in 1901, only women from South Australia and Western Australia were entitled to vote. The first woman to win election to an Australian Parliament was Edith Cowan. She was elected to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly district of West Perth in 1921 and held the seat until 1924.
Features Of A Democratic Electoral System
A democratic electoral system can be said to be one where:
- elections are regular and fair
- votes are of equal value
- the will of the majority is achieved
- the interests of minorities are taken into consideration
- there is a high level of participation by the electorate
- there is the maximum possible franchise
- voting is accessible
In Australia, these qualities are achieved in a number of ways:
- The Constitution, in Section 28 and Section 7 guarantees 3-yearly elections for the House of Representatives and 6-yearly elections for the Senate.
- The establishment of the Australian Electoral Commission as a statutory authority ensures that elections are conducted fairly and independently. The political parties and politicians are kept at arms length from the electoral process.
- Reforms to the Commonwealth Electoral Act ensure that there is no malapportionment or gerrymandering in the distribution of electorates in the House of Representatives. The size of electorates is determined by population and may only vary by plus or minus 10%. Regular redistributions are required.
- The use of preferential voting in single-member House of Representatives electorates ensures that only the candidate most preferred (or least disliked!) by the electorate can win. A defect in the Australian system of preferential voting arises because of the use of single-member electorates. Because the people voting for each party are not distributed evenly across all electorates, it is possible for a party to win a majority of seats in the House of Representatives without winning a majority of the overall two-party-preferred vote. This occurred in 1998, 1990, 1969, 1961 and 1954.
- Minority interests are taken into consideration through the use of the preferential system. In the 1998 federal election, preferences had to be distributed in 99 of the 148 electorates.
- Minority interests are taken into consideration in the Senate through the use of the Optional Preferential Voting system. This system allows candidates to win seats in proportion to the vote they achieve. In a normal half-Senate election, a quota of 14.3% of the vote is required to win a seat. Because of this, minor parties such as the Australian Democrats, Greens and One Nation are able to win Senate seats. Independents are also able to gain seats
- The franchise in Australia is known as full adult suffrage. All citizens over the age of 18 are entitled to vote and stand for election. Earlier discrimination against women and Aborigines has been removed.
- Australia's system of compulsory voting ensures a high degree of participation, around 95% in all elections, although there are critics of this compulsion.
- Participation is also achieved through a variety of measures which promote access to voting. These include:
- the use of mobile polling booths
- postal and pre-poll voting
- absentee voting
- provisional voting
- electoral education programs
Preferential voting.
Sometimes described as the "alternate vote", preferential voting is a uniquely Australian system of voting. Based on the principle that the winner should have 50% + 1 support, it allows voters to number the candidates in order of preference. This system is used in the House of Representatives and the Lower House of every Australian State Parliament, aside from the ACT and Tasmania.
The system of preferential voting is relatively exclusive to the Australian political system. Most similar political systems employ the Simple Majority (First-Past-The-Post) system. Preferential voting is employed in elections for the House of Representatives and all State lower houses in Australia, apart from the Tasmanian House of Assembly and the A.C.T. Legislative Assembly.
Preferential voting:
The main elements of the operation of preferential voting are as follows:
Following the full allocation of preferences, it is possible to derive a "two-party-preferred" figure, where the votes are divided between the two main candidates in the election. In Australia, this is usually between the Labor and non-Labor candidates.
The distribution of preferences takes place in every electoral division in federal elections so that national two-party-preferred figures can be calculated.
Advantages of the Preferential System
Disadvantages of the Preferential System
The system of preferential voting is relatively exclusive to the Australian political system. Most similar political systems employ the Simple Majority (First-Past-The-Post) system. Preferential voting is employed in elections for the House of Representatives and all State lower houses in Australia, apart from the Tasmanian House of Assembly and the A.C.T. Legislative Assembly.
Preferential voting:
- is used in single-member electorates
- requires the winning candidate to secure either an absolute majority (50%+1) of the primary vote or an absolute majority after the distribution of preferences
The main elements of the operation of preferential voting are as follows:
- voters are required to place the number "1" against the candidate of their choice, known as their "first preference."
- voters are then required to place the numbers "2", "3", etc., against the other candidates listed on the ballot paper in order of preference.
- the counting of first preference votes, also known as the "primary vote", takes place first. If no candidate secures an absolute majority of primary votes, then the candidate with the least number of votes is "eliminated" from the count.
- the ballot papers of the eliminated candidate are examined and re-allocated amongst the remaining candidates according to the number "2", or "second preference" votes.
- if no candidate has yet secured an absolute majority of the vote, then the next candidate with the least number of primary votes is eliminated. This preference allocation continues until there is a candidate with an absolute majority. Where a second preference is expressed for a candidate who has already been eliminated, the voter's third or subsequent preferences are used.
Following the full allocation of preferences, it is possible to derive a "two-party-preferred" figure, where the votes are divided between the two main candidates in the election. In Australia, this is usually between the Labor and non-Labor candidates.
The distribution of preferences takes place in every electoral division in federal elections so that national two-party-preferred figures can be calculated.
Advantages of the Preferential System
- It ensures that only a candidate with the support of an absolute majority of the electorate can win, eliminating the possibility of minority winners. Put another way, the winning candidate is the "most preferred" or "least disliked" candidate.
- It ensures that voters can support minor parties and independent candidates, knowing that their preferences may be used to decide the winner. Thus, votes for minor parties and independents are not wasted.
- It allows parties of like-minded philosophies or policies to "exchange preferences" in order to assist each other to win.
- It promotes a strong two-party system, ensuring stability in the parliamentary process.
Disadvantages of the Preferential System
- It is more complicated to administer and count.
- It can produce a higher level of informal voting.
- It promotes a two-party system to the detriment of minor parties and independents.
- Voters are forced to express a preference for candidates they may not wish to support in any way. (The use of optional preferential voting, as used in New South Wales State elections, is a solution to this problem.)
Optional preferential voting.
Task.
Complete the 'Electoral systems: Preferential and optional preferential system of voting' worksheet.
How are votes counted.
Task.
Read 'Representation and justice: Voting systems in Australia'.