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Introduction
The 2012 Queensland State Election will be held on Saturday 24 March 2012.
Voting is compulsory for all eligible citizens.
There are 7 political parties registered with the Electoral Commission of Queensland, click here for details.
List of Polling booths.
List of Pre-poll centres.
List of Declared Institutions. List of Candidates (PDF). List of returning offices. Click below or scroll down for: Election timetable Information for electors Information for candidates and political parties Information for third parties Media information Employment at the 2012 Queensland State election Publications and election statistics Maps Election results Questions and answers Election Timetable Click here to download a copy of the timetable as a PDF. Issue of writ Sunday 19 February 2012. Close of rolls 5:00 pm Saturday 25 February 2012. Close of nominations Noon Monday 27 February 2012. Pre-poll voting Voting commences: Friday 2 March 2012. Voting ends: 6.00 pm Friday 23 March 2012. Postal Voting Applications can be made immediately but the Commission cannot forward ballot material until after the close of nominations. Close of nominations will occur Noon Monday 27 February 2012. Applications close: 6.00 pm Thursday 22 March 2012. Voting ends: 6.00 pm Saturday 24 March 2012. Electoral visitor Applications can be made immediately but the Commission cannot provide ballot material until after the close of nominations. Applications close: 6.00 pm Thursday 22 March 2012. Voting ends: 6.00 pm Saturday 24 March 2012. Declared institution Voting starts: Tuesday 13 March 2012. Voting ends: 6.00 pm Saturday 24 March 2012. Polling day 8.00 am - 6.00 pm Saturday 24 March 2012. How-to-Vote Cards Last date to lodge How-to-Vote Cards to be approved for distribution on Polling Day. 5.00 pm Friday 16 March 2012. Cut-Off for Return of Postal Ballot papers 6.00 pm Tuesday 3 April 2012. Return of writ Monday 23 April 2012. Deadline for challenge Within 7 days of the day of ACTUAL return of writ Information for electors Enrolment and voting is compulsory for all eligible citizens. To find out your State electoral district click here. Information about pre-poll centres can be found here. Information on pre-poll centres in PDF format for International , Inter-state and Queensland is also available. If you wish to update your existing enrolment, click here. If you are enrolling as an elector for the first time, click here. If you wish to apply for a Postal vote, click here. If you need assistance, enquiries can also be made to ECQ's Voters' Helpline 1300 881 665. During the election period (Monday 20 February 2012 to Saturday 24 March 2012) Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, Saturday 8:00 am to 6:00 pm including election day. You can also contact us by email at ecq@ecq.qld.gov.au or by fax on (07) 3229 7391 at any time. Ballot papers for this election cannot be printed until after the close of nominations Monday 27 February 2012. Voting options - once ballot papers are printed, the following voting options will be available: election day voting: at a polling booth on Saturday 24 March 2012; pre-poll voting: you may vote early at any designated pre-poll centre; postal voting: if you are unable to vote on election day you may click here to complete a postal vote application or to download a blank postal vote application form click here, and send it to the Commission (Your ballot papers can not be forwarded until after the close of nominations Monday 27 February 2012; absent voting (if you are away from home on election day, you can cast an absent vote at any polling booth in Queensland); or special postal voters (electors who are registered as special postal voters will automatically be sent ballot material). Special assistance - polling officials will visit some hospitals, nursing homes and aged care facilities to give residents the opportunity to vote click here for the locations. These visits are arranged with the management of the relevant facility and will be publicised in advance of the scheduled visit. Electors who are elderly or infirm can also arrange for a polling official to visit their home (click here to see how to arrange this). If a relative or friend is going to take you to a polling booth, they can ask a polling official to come out to your car if it is difficult for you to go into the booth. Voter's letter - each enrolled elector will receive a personal letter from the Commission. These letters will be posted during the two weeks prior to election day. The letters will provide confirmation of each elector's current enrolment and give advice about voting options and polling booth locations. They have a small tear-off section (the size of a credit card). Please bring this with you to the polling booth or pre-poll centre to help speed up the voting process. Instructions on how to vote - the voting system used in Queensland State elections is called Optional Preferential Voting (OPV). Electors have the choice of: recording a preference for every candidate; recording preferences for some but not all candidates; or voting for one candidate only. A more detailed fact sheet on OPV is available click here. Election results will be displayed on this website commencing at around 7.00 pm on election night Saturday 24 March 2012. Results will be updated progressively throughout election night and for the days following. The tally room will be located at The Exhibition Hall 2, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Merivale Street, South Brisbane and will be open to the public from 6.00 pm on election night. For further information - call the Voters' Helpline on 1300 881 665. During the election period (Monday 20 February 2012 to Saturday 24 March 2012) Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, Saturday 8:00 am to 6:00 pm including election day, email ecq@ecq.qld.gov.au or fax the Commission on (07) 3229 7391 at any time. (All media enquiries should be to media@ecq.qld.gov.au not via the Voters' helpline.) Complaints - if you have a complaint about electoral processes, we request that the complaint be lodged in writing - by email to complaints@ecq.qld.gov.au, by fax to (07) 3229 7391 or by mail to GPO Box 1393 Brisbane Qld 4001. In each case, it would be helpful if you could provide supporting information. Information for candidates and political parties List of Candidates (PDF). Eligibility To qualify as a candidate for a State election, you must: be an Australian citizen enrolled on the Queensland electoral roll; be nominated by six electors who are currently enrolled in the electoral district you are contesting, or be endorsed by a registered political party; not be disqualified from nominating (see the Candidates Guide for further information); pay a $250 deposit by cash or bank cheque. This deposit is refunded if the candidate gains more than 4% of formal first preference votes; and ensure that your nomination is received before 12 Noon on the closing date for nominations. A political party must be registered with the Electoral Commission of Queensland in order to have its name (or registered abbreviation) listed on the ballot paper. The Electoral Commission does not provide legal advice to candidates or political parties, but general information is available in our Candidates Guide, click here. Nominations Independent candidates: - to stand as an unendorsed candidate you must complete the Candidates' Nomination form. You can lodge the form together with your $250 deposit to the Returning Officer of the electoral district you want to contest, or to the Commission. Endorsed candidates: - if you are a candidate endorsed by a registered political party, the party's registered officer will organise the nomination form. You will be asked to sign your consent to the nomination. Candidates (and Registered Officers of registered political parties) may wish to use the online candidate portal. Once completed the nomination form must still be downloaded, signed by the candidate and lodged with the necessary deposit. However, use of the online portal will enable candidate details (and details of the nominators for independent candidates) to be checked against the electoral roll to ensure that the nomination is in order. Signed nomination forms, together with the candidate deposit, must be received by either the relevant Returning Officer or the Electoral Commissioner (in the case of a bulk nomination by a registered political party) by Noon on the day nominations close. Click here to access the candidate portal. Returning Officers Intending candidates are encouraged to visit the Returning Officer for their district to discuss local issues. Click here to access the list of returning officers. Relevant legislation The Commission recommends that all candidates and political parties familiarise themselves with the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 1992 (especially Part 7). Key requirements are : Nominations not lodged by the deadline or not accompanied by a deposit of $250 in cash or by bank cheque (the Electoral Act does not allow personal cheques) cannot be accepted and you will not be able to stand as a candidate. How-to-Vote cards - must be lodged with the Commission for approval, by 5:00 pm Friday 16 March 2012 click here for details. On election day candidates are barred from distributing How-to-Vote cards that have not been approved. Ballot paper draw - the draw for positions on the ballot paper will be conducted at the office of each Returning Officer during the afternoon following the close of nominations. Candidates will be advised by the Returning Officer of the time and place of the draw for positions on the ballot paper and are welcome to attend. Candidates' Agents - a candidate may appoint an agent to take care of funding and financial disclosure issues, or may choose to be their own agent, click here to obtain an Appointment of Agent form. If no form is lodged, the candidate is deemed to be their own agent. Completed forms are to be submitted to the Commission, click here for address details. Scrutineers - by notice to the Returning Officer, candidates may appoint scrutineers to observe polling and counting. Scrutineers must carry ID to show they are an appointed scrutineer. To download a copy of the Scrutineers' Guide click here. Caps on elections spending - click here for information about caps that apply to election expenditure. Public funding and financial disclosure - depending upon the number of formal first preference votes they receive, registered political parties and/or candidates may be eligible for public funding and must also meet certain financial disclosure requirements, click here for further information. Access to electoral roll - each candidate is entitled to a copy of the electoral roll for the electoral district for which they are a candidate. These rolls will be made available either as a printed copy or in an electronic form and will be included in a candidate's pack which is forwarded to each candidate as soon as practicable after close of nominations. Candidates should contact their Returning Officer if they require a printed copy of the roll. Copies of the electoral rolls for candidates cannot be provided until electoral roll information is available from the Australian Electoral Commission (the agency responsible for electoral roll management). This is expected to be about one week following the Close of Rolls. (Please note that under new legislation electors not on the roll at this point still have the opportunity to enrol or update their enrolment up until 6.00 pm on the day before election day.) Complaints - candidates who have concerns about the campaign activities of another candidate are asked to contact their Returning Officer in the first instance. Candidates should note that complaints about the size or location of election advertising signs are not dealt with by the Commission (this is a matter for the relevant local council). Misleading electors - although the Electoral Act makes it an offence to mislead electors, previous court cases have found that this generally applies to misleading electors in the act of filling out the ballot paper, that is, it may be an offence to depict the ballot paper in a way that could mislead electors in the way they vote. The offence of misleading electors has not been held to apply to 'policy debates' between candidates. This should be taken into account before lodging a complaint with the Commission. Any objections to the declared result in a particular electoral district must be lodged with the Court of Disputed Returns. Information for Third Parties A third party for a State election is defined as any entity other than a candidate, registered political party or an associated entity (of a registered political party). It may include an individual. A third party that intends to incur electoral expenditure for an election may apply for registration with the Commission. Applications to register close on 23 March 2012. Third Parties intending to incur electoral expenditure exceeding $2,000 in a single electoral district or $10,000 state wide must first register with the Electoral Commission. Click here for more information. Click here for the Register of Third Parties. Media information List of Candidates (PDF). Close of Electoral Roll Summary The Electoral Commission of Queensland has prepared a special media information kit providing detailed information about the election, including time lines and useful fact sheets. Please consult the kit before making general enquiries. Click here to download the media information kit. Media enquiries (including requests for interview) should be emailed to media@ecq.qld.gov.au Providing a brief description of the enquiry or matter to be discussed will assist the Commission to provide a prompt response. Please note that all media responses are co-ordinated centrally through this email address (which is monitored regularly), NOT through individual Returning Officers or Commission officers. Also, please do NOT make media enquiries to the Voter's Helpline, this creates an extra step in responding to your enquiry. Nominations - names of candidates for each electoral district, including details of the ballot paper draw, will be available on this website around mid-afternoon on the day that nominations close, click here (once available) for a list of candidates. Members of the media are welcome to attend the draws for position on ballot papers, which are held in the office of each Returning Officer, shortly after the 12 Noon deadline for nominations on the day that nominations close. Returning Officers will notify candidates of the time and place of the draw. Please note that the Commission does not make Returning Officers phone numbers available publicly because all election enquiries are handled centrally. We appreciate the cooperation of media outlets in respecting our wishes in this matter. Election results will be posted on this website as they become available on election night. Results will be updated over the ensuing 10 days as postal votes are received and counted. The Commission does not declare the result of any seat while there remains a mathematical possibility that any one out of two or more candidates could be the winner. The Electoral Commissioner, David Kerslake, welcomes the opportunity to disseminate appropriate information to the public through media interviews. Suitable themes include: enrolment (first week of the election period); nominations (Monday 27 February 2012) - NB The Commissioner will not be available for interviews on the day when nominations close Monday 27 February 2012, because this is a particularly busy time but will issue a general media release later that afternoon; pre-poll and postal voting; election day reminders, postal voting deadlines and general wrap up (last week). All media enquiries are handled centrally through media@ecq.qld.gov.au. Information for the public
List of Candidates (PDF).
List of returning offices.
Click below or scroll down for:
Election timetable
Information for electors
Information for candidates and political parties
Information for third parties
Media information
Employment at the 2012 Queensland State election
Publications and election statistics
Maps
Election results
Questions and answers
Click here to download a copy of the timetable as a PDF.
Sunday 19 February 2012.
Close of rolls
5:00 pm Saturday 25 February 2012.
Close of nominations
Noon Monday 27 February 2012.
Pre-poll voting
Voting commences: Friday 2 March 2012. Voting ends: 6.00 pm Friday 23 March 2012.
Postal Voting
Applications can be made immediately but the Commission cannot forward ballot material until after the close of nominations. Close of nominations will occur Noon Monday 27 February 2012.
Applications close: 6.00 pm Thursday 22 March 2012. Voting ends: 6.00 pm Saturday 24 March 2012.
Electoral visitor
Applications can be made immediately but the Commission cannot provide ballot material until after the close of nominations.
Applications close: 6.00 pm Thursday 22 March 2012.
Voting ends: 6.00 pm Saturday 24 March 2012.
Declared institution
Voting starts: Tuesday 13 March 2012. Voting ends: 6.00 pm Saturday 24 March 2012.
Polling day
8.00 am - 6.00 pm Saturday 24 March 2012.
How-to-Vote Cards
Last date to lodge How-to-Vote Cards to be approved for distribution on Polling Day.
5.00 pm Friday 16 March 2012.
Cut-Off for Return of Postal Ballot papers
6.00 pm Tuesday 3 April 2012.
Return of writ
Monday 23 April 2012.
Deadline for challenge
Within 7 days of the day of ACTUAL return of writ
Enrolment and voting is compulsory for all eligible citizens.
To find out your State electoral district click here.
Information about pre-poll centres can be found here. Information on pre-poll centres in PDF format for International , Inter-state and Queensland is also available.
If you wish to update your existing enrolment, click here.
If you are enrolling as an elector for the first time, click here.
If you wish to apply for a Postal vote, click here.
If you need assistance, enquiries can also be made to ECQ's Voters' Helpline 1300 881 665. During the election period (Monday 20 February 2012 to Saturday 24 March 2012) Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, Saturday 8:00 am to 6:00 pm including election day.
You can also contact us by email at ecq@ecq.qld.gov.au or by fax on (07) 3229 7391 at any time.
Ballot papers for this election cannot be printed until after the close of nominations Monday 27 February 2012.
Voting options - once ballot papers are printed, the following voting options will be available:
Special assistance - polling officials will visit some hospitals, nursing homes and aged care facilities to give residents the opportunity to vote click here for the locations. These visits are arranged with the management of the relevant facility and will be publicised in advance of the scheduled visit. Electors who are elderly or infirm can also arrange for a polling official to visit their home (click here to see how to arrange this). If a relative or friend is going to take you to a polling booth, they can ask a polling official to come out to your car if it is difficult for you to go into the booth.
Voter's letter - each enrolled elector will receive a personal letter from the Commission. These letters will be posted during the two weeks prior to election day. The letters will provide confirmation of each elector's current enrolment and give advice about voting options and polling booth locations. They have a small tear-off section (the size of a credit card). Please bring this with you to the polling booth or pre-poll centre to help speed up the voting process.
Instructions on how to vote - the voting system used in Queensland State elections is called Optional Preferential Voting (OPV). Electors have the choice of:
A more detailed fact sheet on OPV is available click here.
Election results will be displayed on this website commencing at around 7.00 pm on election night Saturday 24 March 2012. Results will be updated progressively throughout election night and for the days following.
The tally room will be located at The Exhibition Hall 2, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Merivale Street, South Brisbane and will be open to the public from 6.00 pm on election night.
For further information - call the Voters' Helpline on 1300 881 665. During the election period (Monday 20 February 2012 to Saturday 24 March 2012) Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, Saturday 8:00 am to 6:00 pm including election day, email ecq@ecq.qld.gov.au or fax the Commission on (07) 3229 7391 at any time. (All media enquiries should be to media@ecq.qld.gov.au not via the Voters' helpline.)
Complaints - if you have a complaint about electoral processes, we request that the complaint be lodged in writing - by email to complaints@ecq.qld.gov.au, by fax to (07) 3229 7391 or by mail to GPO Box 1393 Brisbane Qld 4001. In each case, it would be helpful if you could provide supporting information.
Eligibility
To qualify as a candidate for a State election, you must:
A political party must be registered with the Electoral Commission of Queensland in order to have its name (or registered abbreviation) listed on the ballot paper.
The Electoral Commission does not provide legal advice to candidates or political parties, but general information is available in our Candidates Guide, click here.
Nominations
Independent candidates: - to stand as an unendorsed candidate you must complete the Candidates' Nomination form. You can lodge the form together with your $250 deposit to the Returning Officer of the electoral district you want to contest, or to the Commission.
Endorsed candidates: - if you are a candidate endorsed by a registered political party, the party's registered officer will organise the nomination form. You will be asked to sign your consent to the nomination.
Candidates (and Registered Officers of registered political parties) may wish to use the online candidate portal. Once completed the nomination form must still be downloaded, signed by the candidate and lodged with the necessary deposit. However, use of the online portal will enable candidate details (and details of the nominators for independent candidates) to be checked against the electoral roll to ensure that the nomination is in order. Signed nomination forms, together with the candidate deposit, must be received by either the relevant Returning Officer or the Electoral Commissioner (in the case of a bulk nomination by a registered political party) by Noon on the day nominations close. Click here to access the candidate portal.
Returning Officers
Intending candidates are encouraged to visit the Returning Officer for their district to discuss local issues. Click here to access the list of returning officers.
Relevant legislation
The Commission recommends that all candidates and political parties familiarise themselves with the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 1992 (especially Part 7). Key requirements are :
Nominations not lodged by the deadline or not accompanied by a deposit of $250 in cash or by bank cheque (the Electoral Act does not allow personal cheques) cannot be accepted and you will not be able to stand as a candidate.
How-to-Vote cards - must be lodged with the Commission for approval, by 5:00 pm Friday 16 March 2012 click here for details. On election day candidates are barred from distributing How-to-Vote cards that have not been approved.
Ballot paper draw - the draw for positions on the ballot paper will be conducted at the office of each Returning Officer during the afternoon following the close of nominations. Candidates will be advised by the Returning Officer of the time and place of the draw for positions on the ballot paper and are welcome to attend.
Candidates' Agents - a candidate may appoint an agent to take care of funding and financial disclosure issues, or may choose to be their own agent, click here to obtain an Appointment of Agent form. If no form is lodged, the candidate is deemed to be their own agent. Completed forms are to be submitted to the Commission, click here for address details.
Scrutineers - by notice to the Returning Officer, candidates may appoint scrutineers to observe polling and counting. Scrutineers must carry ID to show they are an appointed scrutineer. To download a copy of the Scrutineers' Guide click here.
Caps on elections spending - click here for information about caps that apply to election expenditure.
Public funding and financial disclosure - depending upon the number of formal first preference votes they receive, registered political parties and/or candidates may be eligible for public funding and must also meet certain financial disclosure requirements, click here for further information.
Access to electoral roll - each candidate is entitled to a copy of the electoral roll for the electoral district for which they are a candidate. These rolls will be made available either as a printed copy or in an electronic form and will be included in a candidate's pack which is forwarded to each candidate as soon as practicable after close of nominations. Candidates should contact their Returning Officer if they require a printed copy of the roll. Copies of the electoral rolls for candidates cannot be provided until electoral roll information is available from the Australian Electoral Commission (the agency responsible for electoral roll management). This is expected to be about one week following the Close of Rolls. (Please note that under new legislation electors not on the roll at this point still have the opportunity to enrol or update their enrolment up until 6.00 pm on the day before election day.)
Complaints - candidates who have concerns about the campaign activities of another candidate are asked to contact their Returning Officer in the first instance. Candidates should note that complaints about the size or location of election advertising signs are not dealt with by the Commission (this is a matter for the relevant local council).
Misleading electors - although the Electoral Act makes it an offence to mislead electors, previous court cases have found that this generally applies to misleading electors in the act of filling out the ballot paper, that is, it may be an offence to depict the ballot paper in a way that could mislead electors in the way they vote. The offence of misleading electors has not been held to apply to 'policy debates' between candidates. This should be taken into account before lodging a complaint with the Commission.
Any objections to the declared result in a particular electoral district must be lodged with the Court of Disputed Returns.
A third party for a State election is defined as any entity other than a candidate, registered political party or an associated entity (of a registered political party). It may include an individual.
A third party that intends to incur electoral expenditure for an election may apply for registration with the Commission. Applications to register close on 23 March 2012.
Third Parties intending to incur electoral expenditure exceeding $2,000 in a single electoral district or $10,000 state wide must first register with the Electoral Commission.
Click here for more information.
Click here for the Register of Third Parties.
Close of Electoral Roll Summary
The Electoral Commission of Queensland has prepared a special media information kit providing detailed information about the election, including time lines and useful fact sheets. Please consult the kit before making general enquiries. Click here to download the media information kit.
Media enquiries (including requests for interview) should be emailed to media@ecq.qld.gov.au Providing a brief description of the enquiry or matter to be discussed will assist the Commission to provide a prompt response. Please note that all media responses are co-ordinated centrally through this email address (which is monitored regularly), NOT through individual Returning Officers or Commission officers. Also, please do NOT make media enquiries to the Voter's Helpline, this creates an extra step in responding to your enquiry.
Nominations - names of candidates for each electoral district, including details of the ballot paper draw, will be available on this website around mid-afternoon on the day that nominations close, click here (once available) for a list of candidates.
Members of the media are welcome to attend the draws for position on ballot papers, which are held in the office of each Returning Officer, shortly after the 12 Noon deadline for nominations on the day that nominations close. Returning Officers will notify candidates of the time and place of the draw.
Please note that the Commission does not make Returning Officers phone numbers available publicly because all election enquiries are handled centrally. We appreciate the cooperation of media outlets in respecting our wishes in this matter.
Election results will be posted on this website as they become available on election night. Results will be updated over the ensuing 10 days as postal votes are received and counted.
The Commission does not declare the result of any seat while there remains a mathematical possibility that any one out of two or more candidates could be the winner.
The Electoral Commissioner, David Kerslake, welcomes the opportunity to disseminate appropriate information to the public through media interviews. Suitable themes include:
All media enquiries are handled centrally through media@ecq.qld.gov.au.
The media can be of great assistance in disseminating the following information to the public.
Election day - Saturday 24 March 2012 Polls open at 8.00 am and close at 6.00 pm SHARP
Postal voting - available after close of nominations.
Enrolment cut off- 5:00 pm Saturday 25 February 2012.
Nominations close- Noon Monday 27 February 2012.
Pre-poll voting commences - Friday 2 March 2012.
Voters helpline - 1300 881 665. During the election period (Monday 20 February 2012 to Saturday 24 March 2012) Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, Saturday 8:00 am to 6:00 pm including election day.
ECQ website - www.ecq.qld.gov.au
Electoral Commission of Queensland employs over 9000 people throughout Queensland for the conduct of the election. Most positions involve work at a polling booth on election day. Other staff are employed to assist each of the Returning Officers with election and administrative work, click here to go to our online recruitment system.
The following documents and publications can be downloaded by clicking on the relevant title:
2009 Statistical Report (including election results)
Candidate's Guide
Scrutineer's Guide
The functions and powers of the Commission are listed in the Electoral Act 1992. Sections of the Act that are particularly relevant to State elections include:
Part 4 - Electoral rolls
Part 7 - Elections and voting
Part 11 - Election funding and financial disclosure
To view current State Electoral District Boundary maps click here.
Election results will be posted on this website from approximately 7.00 pm on Election Day Saturday 24 March 2012. The count will be updated progressively over the following 10 days, with the last update by 4.30 pm each day.
It is not the Commission's policy to declare the result in a given district while there remains a mathematical possibility that more than one candidate could emerge the winner.
Under the Electoral Act a period of 10 days must be allowed after election day for postal votes to be returned. Postal votes received after the 10 day period cannot be counted.
Who is eligible to enrol and vote for Queensland State and local government elections? I have changed address. Do I need to fill out a new enrolment form? How do I find out where I am currently enrolled? Can I enrol after the official close of rolls? Are there any restrictions on the distribution of How-to-Vote Cards? What voting system is used in Queensland? What happens if I don't vote? How do I know where I can vote? Can I still vote if I'm interstate or overseas on polling day? My friend/relative needs assistance when voting. Am I able to assist them? Because of my religious beliefs I do not vote. Will I still be fined? How can I apply to work on polling day? I have recently changed address but I haven't updated my details. Can I still vote? Where can I vote before polling day? Who can apply for a postal vote? What is an electoral visit vote?
Who is eligible to enrol and vote for Queensland State and local government elections?
Any person who:
You may provisionally enrol when you are 16, but you will not be able to vote until your 18th birthday.
I have changed address. Do I need to fill out a new enrolment form?
You can update your address details online as long as you can supply your driver's licence details, click here.
If you are not currently enrolled or do not have a driver's licence you will need to fill out an enrolment form, click here to access the form.
How do I find out where I am currently enrolled?
You can check your enrolment to find the Federal, State and Local Government areas you are enrolled for.
Can I enrol after the official close of rolls?
Yes, you can enrol any time up to 6.00 pm on the day before election day. It will be too late for your name to appear on the official list of voters but the Commission will make special arrangements to ensure you can vote. (The simplest and easiest way is to update your enrolment before the official close of rolls - 5.00 pm Saturday 25 February 2012 - if you can.)
Are there any restrictions on the distribution of How-to-Vote cards?
Yes. All How-to-Vote cards must state the name and street address of the person who authorised them. All cards must be lodged with the Commission for approval, by 5:00 pm Friday 16 March 2012 click here for details. On election day candidates are barred from distributing How-to-Vote cards that have not been approved.
What voting system is used in Queensland?
Optional Preferential Voting (OPV). Electors can express their order of preference by:
For further information see the OPV Fact Sheet.
What happens if I don't vote?
Voting is compulsory for State and local government elections. If you don't vote you will receive a Failure to Vote notice. If you are unable to provide a valid reason for not voting you will be required to pay a fine.
How do I know where I can vote?
You can vote:
During the last 2 weeks of the election period the Commission will send you a Voter Information letter. This letter will contain your enrolment details and a list of places in your area where you can vote. This information is also available on this website. Click here (when available) for a list of electoral districts and polling locations.
Can I still vote if I'm interstate or overseas on polling day?
Yes. You can apply for a postal vote. You may also be able to have a pre-poll vote before you leave or at an overseas pre-poll centre (if you are near by). For more information click here.
My friend/relative needs assistance when voting. Am I able to assist them?
Yes. If an elector requires assistance they are able to choose a person to assist them. They may also ask a Polling Official at a polling booth for assistance.
Because of my religious beliefs I do not vote. Will I still be fined?
No, provided you write to us stating your reason for not voting. You must include your full name, date of birth, address, and signature. Please note that you must still be correctly enrolled.
I have recently changed address but I haven't updated my details. Can I still vote?
Yes. You can either cast an ordinary vote for the address where you were previously enrolled or you can update your details click here before 6.00 pm on the day before election day and cast a declaration vote for your new address.
Where can I vote before polling day?
Details of pre-poll offices will be available on our website after the writ is issued.
Who can apply for a postal vote?
You can apply for a postal vote if on polling day, you:
Click here to apply.
What is an electoral visit vote?
An Electoral Officer will come to your home at an arranged time to take your vote. You will need to complete the Postal Vote/Electoral Visit Vote application form and select the 'Electoral Visitor Vote' box.