All your Voice to Parliament questions answered as referendum day kicks off

The day has arrived where Australians will discover whether a Voice to Parliament has been approved or rejected. Here’s everything you need to know.

The campaign is over and today Australians will discover whether they have approved or rejected the Voice to parliament.

Here is everything you need to know if you still need to vote, and what to expect throughout the day.

WHAT AM I VOTING ON?

The ballot paper has the proposed alteration to the Constitution written on it. You have to answer YES or NO to the following question:

“A proposed law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, do you approve of this proposed alteration?”

Today Australians will discover whether they have approved or rejected the Voice to parliament. Picture: David Gray / AFP

DO I HAVE TO VOTE?

It is compulsory for every Australian citizen aged over 18 to vote.

HOW CAN I MAKE SURE MY VOTE IS VALID?

Avoid using symbols such as a tick or cross. Just answer YES or NO.

WHEN AND WHERE CAN I VOTE?

More than 7,000 polling booths will open from 8am-6pm local time. Similar to election day, booths will be set up at local schools, halls and churches.

Locations will be available on the Australian Electoral Commission website.

If you are away on October 14 for any of the following reasons, you can vote early from two weeks before polling day, or on the day outside the electorate where you are enrolled to vote:

• More than 8km from a polling place

• Travelling

• Unable to leave your workplace to vote on voting day

• Seriously ill, infirm or due to give birth shortly (or caring for someone who is)

• A patient in hospital and can’t vote at the hospital

• Have religious beliefs that prevent you from attending a polling place

• In prison serving a sentence of less than three years or otherwise detained

• A silent elector

• Have a reasonable fear for your safety or wellbeing

If you’re interstate on the day and need to cast your vote, you will need to visit a designated interstate voting centre.

You cannot vote online.

Anyone who has applied for, and received, their postal vote must complete it and return it to the AEC as soon as possible. Picture: David Gray / AFP

HOW DO WE KNOW WHO WINS?

In order for the Voice to parliament to succeed, there must be a special double-majority – a national majority of Yes votes, and a majority in at least four out of the six states.

All votes from polling booths will be counted on the night as will pre-poll votes and those postal votes already received.

This means we should have a reasonable idea of the result that night unless it is very close.

In that case, we would need to wait until all postal votes are counted and because all votes are counted twice to double-check the result, that could take weeks.

WHAT ABOUT POSTAL VOTES?

Anyone who has applied for, and received, their postal vote must complete it and return it to the AEC as soon as possible. You must have completed your postal vote by 6pm local time on Saturday, but do not wait.

The legislation allows up to 13 days after referendum day for postal votes to be received back to the AEC. Once a postal vote has been completed, voters should put them in the mail as soon as possible.

HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY VOTED?

About 4m people have voted at an early voting centre, and about 2m applied for a postal vote.

All votes from polling booths will be counted on the night as will pre-poll votes and those postal votes already received. Photo: Martin Ollman/Getty Images

WHEN WILL WE KNOW THE RESULTS?

Results will be updated on the AEC’s Tally Room from after 6pm AEDT. A link to the Tally Room will be available on the AEC’s website on referendum night.

WHAT WILL BE COUNTED ON SATURDAY NIGHT?

All votes cast on the day will be counted that night.

The majority of pre-poll votes cast will also be counted on the night.

A small number of postal votes will be counted on the night but how many depends on how many postal votes the AEC has received back from voters by then.

There will be pre-poll counts that will not be available until late in the night on the Tally Room.

CAN WE EXPECT A RESULT ON THE NIGHT – OR WILL WE HAVE TO WAIT?

Whether or not a clear indication of a result is available on the night depends entirely on how close the margin is.

‘Vote No’ volunteers at a polling centre in Canberra this month. Picture: Martin Ollman/Getty Images

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE YES VOTE WINS?

Parliament – including the Government, Opposition and crossbenchers – will be asked to “finalise” details and functions of how the Voice will operate.

In terms of its size, the Calma-Langton co-design report provided to the Australian Government has recommended the Voice committee be made up of 24 members that represent a broad section of the Indigenous population and include equal gender representation.

Two members will be allocated from each state and territory.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE NO CAMPAIGN WINS?

If the double-majority is not met, no change will be made to the Constitution.

No campaigners say they will make use of existing bodies and see what is working and what is not when it comes to assisting disadvantaged Indigenous peoples.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has vowed to hold a second referendum if the Coalition succeeds at the next election to allow Australians to vote solely on the issue of constitutional recognition of First Nations people

Originally published as All your Voice to Parliament questions answered as referendum day kicks off