This year, Australian citizens will vote in a federal election to elect members of the 48th Parliament of Australia. 

To help you prepare for the election on Saturday 3 May, we're releasing a series of articles, answering the most common questions you might have.

From how to vote to educational resources to help you decide who to vote for, we're committed to making sure you're confident voting, whether it's your first time or your fifth. 

This article is the first in our series, covering how to enrol to vote, what a federal election is and how to vote on/before the day. 

Who's eligible to vote?

Australian citizens aged 18 and over are eligible to vote. If you're 17 now but will turn 18 on or before Saturday 3 May, you can enrol to vote now so you're eligible to take part in this election. 

It is compulsory by law for all eligible Australians to enrol and vote. 

How do I enrol to vote? 

You can enrol to vote online, via the enrolment PDF form or by picking up an enrolment form at an Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) office. 

How do I check or update my enrolment details? 

You can check your current electoral enrolment by entering your personal details into the AEC's electoral enrolment verification system. If you cannot confirm your electoral enrolment online, you may still be on the electoral roll. Contact the AEC to check your enrolment details. 

If your personal details or residential address changes, you must update your details on the electoral roll. You can update your enrolment details online, via the via the enrolment form or by picking up an enrolment form at an AEC office. 

How long do I have to enrol or update my enrolment details?

You must be correctly enrolled by Monday 7 April 2025, 8 pm local time. 

What is a federal election? 

A federal election happens approximately every three years. It's when Australian citizens vote for people to represent them in the House of Representatives and Senate in the Australian Parliament.             

This year's federal election will be held on Saturday 3 May. Eligible Australian citizens can vote on 'polling day', the day of the election, or during the early voting period. 

Federal elections are organised and run by the Australian Electoral Comission (AEC), who make sure that elections are fair and legal. 

What's the difference between the House of Representatives and the Senate? 

The Australian Government is made up of elected members from two houses of Parliament – the House of Representatives, sometimes called the Lower House, and the Senate, sometimes called the Upper House. 

The House of Representatives is made up of 150 elected members, representing each of the 150 geographic areas of Australia. These geographic areas, made up of roughly 100,000 voters each, are known as 'electorates'. 

Find out which federal electorate you live in, a profile and map of your electorate, and the name of your current House of Representatives Member on AEC's 'Find my electorate' page. 

The Senate is made up of 76 Senators. Unlike members of the House of Representatives, Senators are elected to represent their whole state or territory. Each state is equally represented by 12 senators, and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and Northern Territory (NT) are represented by two senators each.

How is the federal government decided? 

The political party with a majority of members in the House of Representatives becomes the federal government. 

If no party or coalition of parties achieves a majority in the House of Representatives, this is known as a 'hung parliament'. Government can be formed with the support of independent and/or minor party members, known as a 'minority government', but they must get the support of the majority of the House of Representatives in order to govern Australia. 

Learn more about our government and how it's formed. 

How is the Prime Minister chosen?

The Prime Minister is the leader of the federal Government and a member of the House of Representatives. 

Australian citizens do not directly vote for the Prime Minister. Rather, the Prime Minister is decided by a vote of the members of the party in government. That is, the leader of the party or coalition of parties with a majority in the House of Representatives. 

In our most recent federal election in 2022, the Australian Labor Party achieved a majority government, so the party's leader, Anthony Albanese, became Australia's 31st Prime Minister.  

Each political party has its own arrangements for choosing, as well as changing, its leader.

How do I vote?

There are a number of voting options in a federal election to meet the diverse needs of voters. Here are the most common voting options: 

• Polling day voting: Polling day is held on Saturday 3 May. Australian citizens can cast their vote at any polling place within their state or territory, or at a designated interstate voting centre. Polling places are usually located at local schools, churches and community halls, or public buildings, and some places have BBQs and bake sales on the day. 
• Early voting: Eligible voters will be able to vote at early voting centres in two weeks leading up to polling day. Early voting opens on Tuesday 22 April. 
• Postal voting: Voters unable to vote in-person, either on polling day or during the early voting period, may be able to vote via post. Postal vote applications close Wednesday 30 April, 6 pm local time. 
• Overseas voting: Voters who are overseas on polling day or during the early voting period may be able to vote at an overseas polling centre or via post. 
• Telephone voting: Voters who are blind or have low vision will be able to vote via a dedicated telephone voting service.
• Mobile voting: In-person voting services will be available to people who experience barriers to electoral participation, including voters in hospitals and residential locations for people with disability. 

How do I complete the House of Representatives and Senate ballot papers? 

The House of Representatives ballot paper is green. To complete the House of Representatives ballot paper, you need to put a '1' in the box beside the candidate who is your first choice, '2' in the box beside your second choice and so on, until you have numbered every box. You need to number every box for your vote to count. 

The Senate ballot paper is white and much larger than the House of Representatives ballot paper. To cast a Senate vote, you can choose to vote either above the line or below the line.

• Above the line: Number at least six boxes for parties or groups in the order of your choice (with '1' as your first choice). 
• Below the line: Number at least 12 boxes for individual candidates in the order of your choice (with '1' as your first choice). 

Once you have voted on both ballot papers, place the papers in their respective boxes – they will be labeled accordingly. If you need help, ask an AEC worker. 

Use the AEC's interactive voting tools to practise voting and ensure your vote counts at the federal election: 

• Practise voting for the House of Representatives 
• Practise voting for the Senate

When will we know the outcome? 

While there could be an indication of results on the night, it may take days or several weeks to come to an outcome if the election is close. This is to account for additional early votes, overseas votes and postal votes to be counted. 

Every House of Representatives and Senate vote will be counted more than once to check that the initial count was correct, and all counting is supervised by scrutineers.

Hero photo credit: Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) – flickr.