Enrol to vote explained: AEC taking last-minute enrolments today for Federal Election 2019

With hours to go until enrolments close for this year’s Federal Election on May 18, Australian Electoral Commission officials have been inundated with applications from last-minute voters.

With hours to go until enrolments close for this year’s Federal Election on May 18, Australian Electoral Commission officials have been inundated with applications from last-minute voters.

The AEC has told News Corp the only way Australians can enrol to vote now is by going online, or going in person to an AEC office.

But the fastest, most effective way of enrolling is by going online.

If you are an Australian citizen aged 18 years or older and have lived at your address for at least one month, you are required to vote.

All eligible voters must be correctly enrolled by 8pm AEST tonight.

To enrol, voters must complete an online form on the AEC website.

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The AEC will not take phone calls from those who need to enrol.

It is also too late now to mail out a form to the AEC with new or updated details.

If you are 16 or 17 you can enrol now so when you turn 18 you’ll be able to vote during the election.

Andre Price-Quinton is turning 18 on 8 May and will be able to vote for the first time.

There are also special enrolment forms on the AEC website for those who are:

*Silent electors

*General postal voters

*New citizens

*People with no fixed address (eg homeless, seasonal workers or travellers around Australia with no address to return to)

*Long-term travellers within Australia (who will return to their permanent enrolled address)

*Overseas residents or going overseas

*People physically incapable of signing

*Prisoners

*Norfolk Island electors

*Workers in Antarctica

*People with disability

*Seniors

Those who are going to be overseas for a short period of time during the election, can still be enrolled to vote. Voters may need to fill out an overseas notification form. To check your circumstances go to this part of the AEC website.

Voters can also update their personal details online with the AEC by 8pm tonight if they have taken a new name, or moved and are now living in a new electorate.

EARLY VOTING

Early voting for the federal election begins April 29.

You can vote early either in person or by post if you:

*are outside the electorate where you are enrolled to vote

*are more than 8km from a polling place

*are travelling

*are unable to leave your workplace to vote

*are seriously ill, infirm or due to give birth shortly (or caring for someone who is)

*are a patient in hospital and can’t vote at the hospital

*have religious beliefs that prevent you from attending a polling place

*are in prison serving a sentence of less than three years or otherwise detained

*are a silent elector

*have a reasonable fear for your safety

If you can’t get to a polling booth on election day you can vote at an early voting centre in Australia.

A list of early voting centres will be available soon on the AEC website.

Those who plan to vote overseas can do it by post or at an overseas voting centre.

Originally published as Enrol to vote explained: AEC taking last-minute enrolments today for Federal Election 2019