Everything you need to know about the same-sex marriage postal vote

THIS is your final day to register if you want to have your say about whether same-sex marriage should be legalised in Australia.

IF YOU want to have your say about whether same-sex marriage should be legalised in Australia you’ve only got today to register.

Voting in the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey is not compulsory but the result may change laws in Australia so it’s important to make your views known.

Here’s what you need to know.

ARE YOU REGISTERED?

The Australian Bureau of Statistics will conduct the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey using details of those on the electoral roll.

The electoral roll closes for new enrolments or updates on midnight Thursday, August 24.

To register, click here to get your name on the roll.

Or to check if you are enrolled already, click here or to update your details, click here.

CAN YOU VOTE IF YOU ARE UNDER 18?

Those who turn 18 after August 24 won’t be able to vote.

There was some speculation that 16 and 17-year-olds would be able to participate but the government has moved to clear up this confusion by giving directions to the ABS that those taking part in the survey must be eligible to participate in a federal election by the end of August 24 (that is, you must be 18).

WHAT WILL YOU BE ASKED?

The question will be: ‘Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?’

DO YOU HAVE TO VOTE?

No, but if you don’t, you are encouraged to destroy your form by tearing it up into two or more parts. This ensures someone else can’t use it to cast a vote on your behalf.

There are concerns about forms that end up at rubbish tips and whether unscrupulous compaigners could buy and sell them.

IS IT A PLEBISCITE?

No, the government failed to get that through parliament. These days we’re calling it a “postal survey” instead. It means people don’t have to vote if they don’t want to, and the result is not binding on politicians.

WHEN WILL YOU GET THE FORM?

The ABS will start sending out surveys from September 12.

Some people living overseas or who can’t reasonably receive material via post will be able to respond using a paperless method. Eligible Australians will be able to request a secure access code from the ABS.

You can also authorise another person to vote for you if you cannot access your survey (if you are overseas for example).

If something happens to your survey, you can ask for a replacement. Requests will be accepted until October 11.

Australians are being asked whether to legalise same-sex marriage.

WHEN DO YOU NEED TO SEND IT BACK?

Voters are strongly encouraged to post their forms back by October 27. It comes with a reply paid envelope so no excuses.

Responses received after November 7 won’t be processed.

WILL YOUR RESPONSE BE SECRET?

Each survey will feature a barcode but this will not be used to identify voters, it will only be for “mark-in” purposes.

WHAT IF YOU ARE A SILENT VOTER?

Concerns were raised the ABS would get access to the full details of silent voters but it says the AEC will send the survey forms to silent voters.

“The ABS will, at no time, know the address of silent electors,” it said.

I’VE HEARD I SHOULD ADD SOME GLITTER?

Firstly, spare a thought for the poor person who has to deal with those envelopes, that stuff gets everywhere.

But if you absolutely must sprinkle that pixie dust, the ABS says your survey could still be processed.

The agency is not actively encouraging people to decorate their forms with glitter but they may be cleaned so they can be scanned. Any extraneous material placed in the envelope will be destroyed.

“We will do our best to process every survey form that can be processed but glitter will not help,” ABS deputy statistician Jonathan Palmer said.

Mr Palmer is the man in charge of the poll and said glitter-decorated forms may be either cleaned or transcribed so they can go through a scanning machine without clogging it up.

Better to save that stuff for Mardi Gras.

WILL THE VOTE MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

There’s debate over how much of the population would need to respond in order to make the result legitimate.

Shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus said he hoped the return was more than 50 per cent.

“It’s not going to have much worth if it’s only 10 per cent or 15 per cent of people participating,” he told ABC TV.

A postal ballot in 1997 to decide whether there should be a Constitutional Convention, got a turnout of 46.92 per cent.

This year’s result will be published on the ABS website on November 15 and broken down along electorate and state lines.

When it comes to the result itself, a 51-49 outcome would leave the country in a “grey area” and may make it harder to get the law changed.

The postal survey is not binding so politicians can still vote against legalising same-sex marriage even if people vote Yes.

But Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull believes the result will be respected in parliament.

“If the postal vote is carried, the legalisation of same-sex marriage will sail through the Parliament, believe me,” he told 2DayFM.

WILL IT GO AHEAD?

The postal survey faces two High Court challenges, which will be heard side-by-side on September 5 and 6 in Melbourne.

Mr Dreyfus believes there is a 50/50 chance the High Court will allow the survey to go ahead.

While it’s not clear when the court will hand down its decision but it’s expected to be quickly as the surveys are due to be mailed from September 12.

The two challenges were filed almost within an hour of each other and are being fought on similar grounds.

The Human Rights Law Centre, representing Australian Marriage Equality and Greens Senator Janet Rice has brought forward one case.

The other case is being fought by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, representing Andrew Wilkie MP, Felicity Marlowe and FPLAG Brisbane Inc.

They argue the survey should be scrapped because the government doesn’t have the right to spend the $122 million it has now allocated to the ballot because it wasn’t approved by parliament. They say the government also stretched the rules by enlisting the Australian Bureau of Statistics to run the survey.

MORE QUESTIONS?

Check out information provided by the ABS, click here.

Australian Marriage Law Survey Information Line is also open 7 days a week, 8am - 8pm (local time). Call 1800 572 113

BASIC TIMELINE:

August 24: Electoral roll closes for new enrolments or updates.

September 12: Start of mail-out.

October 11: Requests for replacement surveys closes.

October 27: The date voters are strongly encouraged to post their form back by.

November 7: Responses received after this date won’t be processed.

November 15: Result released.