Special arrangements will be made so Australians stuck in COVID-19 isolation can vote in this year’s federal election as part of a pandemic contingency plan being developed by the Australian Electoral Commission.

The election – due to be held sometime before late May – will be the first federal poll since the start of the pandemic. Potentially thousands of Australians who have tested positive or who have been identified as close contacts could be required to isolate on polling day under state and territory public health orders.