This article was written by Connor Findlay.
Every three years, our nation is tasked with the decision of voting for our Federal Representatives and Senators. But what goes into an election? How can we, as young people of regional Victoria make an informed decision? And what are all these words like “coalition”, “electorate” and “two-party preferential”?
Firstly, in a federal election, the nation is divided into 150 voting areas, also called “electorates”. Bendigo fits entirely inside its own electorate, along with a few smaller towns, such as Kyneton, Heathcote, Castlemaine and Rochester. The Bendigo Electorate is held by the current Labor Party and represented by Lisa Chesters. As of December 2024, our electorate had 119,036 enrolled voters.
In Australia, there are two major parties: Labor (red) and the Coalition (blue). To win an election, a major party has to win a majority of the electorates (76 or more), and the leader of that political party becomes the Prime Minister. In 2022, the Labor party won 77 seats, to the Coalition’s 58, the first election majority for Labor since 2010. This led to Anthony Albanese (also known as Albo) becoming the 31st Prime Minister of Australia.
The idea of elections is for the people of the nation to choose which party best suits them, their community and their nation. It’s up to you, a registered voter, to decide who to vote for, and who you think will represent everyone best.
If you have a hard time deciding between the main two, don’t worry. There are plenty of minor parties you can consider for the upcoming election. Other parties that usually sponsor candidates for the Bendigo electorate include the Greens and One Nation. They each have their own websites, and list their policies too, so be sure to thoroughly research them, and form your own opinions on them. Independent candidates don’t follow a specific party, and have their own policies, ideas and funding, so they may be worth checking out as well.
What am I voting for?
You will be voting for one Member of the House of Representatives for Bendigo, which is currently Lisa Chesters, and up to twelve Senators to represent all of Victoria.
The Senate’s role is to also debate and pass laws, alongside the House of Representatives, and there are twelve senators for each state. The Senate ballot paper is a lot bigger, with political parties and groups of candidates listed above a horizontal line, and individual candidates below the line. At least six parties above the line, or twelve individual candidates across any party below the line, can be chosen. You don’t have to know every single candidate for the senate, but you should have an idea of their party’s policies.
How do I vote?
On election day you will be given two ballot papers, one for the House of Representatives, and one for the Senate. You must complete both ballot papers.
Australian elections also use a preferential voting system. You will write down ‘1’ for your most preferred candidate, ‘2’ for the second-preferred candidate, and so on, and the highest number will be your lowest preference. When the votes are counted for the House of Representatives electorate, if no party has more than 50% of the vote, the candidate with the lowest number of votes is excluded from the count, and ballot papers for that candidate are transferred to other candidates according to how you numbered your ballot paper.
If you would like to practice voting, the AEC has practice online voting to ensure you can vote properly at https://www.aec.gov.au/Voting/How_to_vote/practice/
You can also find tips on how to properly consider and false or misleading information about the voting process at https://www.aec.gov.au/elections/electoral-advertising/stopandconsider.htm
How do I know who to vote for?
Where you get your voting information from is extremely important. As an informed adult, you should be aware of how to decide if something is true or not about a candidate or party.
Rely on trusted news sources and media that have a history of fact-checking and balanced reporting. Some news outlets favour a political side and may only report about one political party.
Candidates and parties will have their own social media pages and websites where they will post their own policies, ideas and election key points. Make sure that the social media page is verified, and it genuinely reflects the party’s views.
Avoid clickbait or articles that are obviously trying to grab your attention regarding elections. Remember, if it sounds too crazy to be true, it might not be true. Just crazy.
- Near the election date, pamphlets of various political parties will come available, usually outside major voting centres and in the mail. Thoroughly read these pamphlets, as they will give you an idea of a party’s intentions, and anything you may have missed.
- You can attend political debates, or candidate meetings if you had any questions, or even want to hear speeches. Candidates will post announcements of these events on social media, and if you don’t get a chance to talk to them, there may still be someone to answer your question at the event.
- If you don’t fully understand what a political party’s interests or ideologies are, do some research, and check out their website or social media pages. If you still aren’t sure, try to obtain an information pamphlet from the candidate’s party.
- MAKE SURE YOU ARE ENROLLED TO VOTE!!!!! The latest possible date to enrol for this election has passed, however you can enrol anytime. Once you are enrolled to vote, you will be required to vote at every election.
Where do I vote?
On voting day (May 3), you can vote at any polling place. Polling places often include schools, churches, community halls and public buildings but you can check the closest polling place to you on the AEC website.
There are also other ways to vote including postal voting, mobile voting and early voting if this doesn't work for you! You can find out more on the AEC website on ways to vote.
When is the election?
The 2025 Election will be held on the 3rd of May. Between now and then, keep an eye out for updates and various news sources. When a list of the candidates is released, take note of which ones you prefer.
The information in this article regarding the Australian Electoral System has been fact checked by the AEC Media Team. https://www.aec.gov.au/
