COMMONWEALTH ELECTORAL ACT 1918
REFERENDUM (MACHINERY PROVISIONS) ACT 1984
ELECTORAL AND REFERENDUM REGULATIONS - AMENDMENT
EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
STATUTORY RULES 1988 NO. 182
Issued by Authority of the Special Minister of State
The Electoral and Referendum Regulations make provision for Commonwealth electoral and referendum administration.
Section 188(3) of the Electoral Act and section 61(3) of the Referendum Act provides that a postal vote certificate shall be in the form prescribed by regulations made under the Acts. The postal vote certificate is the document in which an elector declares that he or she is entitled to a postal vote.
Regulation 41(1) of the Electoral and Referendum Regulations provides that the postal vote certificate may be in accordance with Form 27 in the Schedule to the Regulations. The previous form required an elector to provide name, address and date of birth details. These details are used by the Divisional Returning Officer to verify the elector’s entitlement to vote.
The amending Regulations omit the previous Form 27 and substitute a new Form 27. The new Form requires an elector to provide two items of additional information, namely, the address at which the elector is living permanently (if different to the enrolled address) and the elector’s previous name (if it has changed since the elector last enrolled). The additional information facilitates the Divisional Returning Officer’s verification of an elector’s entitlement to vote. All other forms of voting which require an elector to complete a certificate (or declaration) already require the elector to provide this information.