Do I have to vote?
Voting is a right and a responsibility.
Your vote is an important way to have a say in shaping Queensland.
By law, it is compulsory for eligible Australian citizens, aged 18 or older, to vote at Queensland state elections, council elections, and state referendums.
If you don’t vote, you may be fined.
The penalty for failing to vote in an election in Queensland is one penalty unit, valued at $154.80 from 1 July 2023. The amount of the penalty unit is indexed annually under the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992.
What happens if I don't vote?
After an election, records are checked. If it appears you have not voted you may receive an apparent failure to vote notice.
Apparent failure to vote notice
An apparent failure to vote notice provides the opportunity to say whether you did or didn’t vote, or why you didn’t vote.
If you receive this notice, you can:
- provide a valid and sufficient reason for not voting
- tell us that you did vote and provide the details, or
- pay a fine of one penalty unit at the time of the offence, or half this amount if the fine is paid before the due date.
Infringement notice
If you don’t respond to the apparent failure to vote notice, you are likely to receive an infringement notice. This is the fine for not voting.
If the fine is not paid, you may be referred to the State Penalties Enforcement Registry (SPER) for further action and additional charges may apply.
Pay online
If you have received an apparent failure to vote notice or infringement notice and wish to pay online, please click the button below or visit: www.ecq.qld.gov.au/payyourfine
Please note the option to pay online expires after the fine’s due date.
Examples:
Apparent failure to vote notice example
