Voters waiting longer for results

Analysis of election figures shows the share of the two-candidate-preferred voted counted by midnight on election day has fallen over the past six election.

Australian Electoral Commission staff begin counting votes at a counting centre in south western Sydney, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Moussa Moussa)

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Voters are waiting longer than before to find who their parliamentary representatives are because the popularity of minor parties and independents complicates the results. Election figures show the share of votes counted by midnight three days after election day has been broadly consistent over the past six elections but this has fallen for the two-candidate-preferred count.

For example, in 2010, the Australian Electoral Commission had counted 73.9 per cent of primary votes and 72.1 per cent of two-candidate preferred votes by 12am on Tuesday. In 2025, by the same time, the AEC had counted 73.8 per cent of primary votes but just 65.0 per cent of two candidate preferred votes.

This is likely because some races for the lower house have become more complicated with the expansion of the crossbench.

For maximum vote-counting speed and efficiency, the AEC makes a record of the primary vote — a voter’s first choice — then guesses who the two most likely candidates in that electorate are. Votes are split into two piles as to where that vote’s preference will flow between those two candidates, depending on who was numbered higher.

The AEC starts the process again if it finds its original prediction for the two candidates was incorrect. This was a relatively simple process when almost every seat came down to a race between Labor and the Coalition but the expansion of the crossbench has meant some seats are increasingly three-horse races.