Election: Beware of unsolicited postal voting forms

The Australian Electoral Commission is warning voters about using unsolicited postal vote application forms from political parties ahead of the Federal election, saying the practice raises privacy concerns and could also delay people getting onto the electoral roll in time.

Unsolicited application forms, which can be received via SMS, email, or mailbox, are sent by a political party or candidate and are reportedly used by political parties to collect data about voters before being forwarded to the AEC.

The AEC does not issue them, and while it is only ever the AEC that distributes postal vote ballot papers, there are no rules against parties sending out application forms.

This is allowed under the Commonwealth Electoral Act, but there is often concern about the timeliness of applications getting to the AEC and the privacy of an applicant’s details.

The AEC’s advice is to apply directly on the AEC website.

Acting Australian Electoral Commissioner Jeff Pope said voters need to be aware of where postal vote applications are coming from.

“The AEC does not distribute unsolicited postal vote applications. If you receive an application form for a postal vote in the mail or via SMS, it hasn’t come from the AEC,” he said.

“People should always carefully consider what they’re doing with their personal information.

The AEC takes privacy seriously and operates under the Privacy Act. Political parties don’t have to.

“Voters ask us how their mobile number is known by a political party. The AEC has not provided it.

“If you need a postal vote, the easiest way to apply for one is to do it on the AEC’s website. It takes a few minutes and guarantees that your personal information stays secure with us.”