Record number of Australians set to vote at election
The number of Australians enrolled to vote has reached a new record high, just weeks ahead of the federal election to be held on May 3.
A record number of people are expected to have their say in the upcoming federal election, as candidates get ready to find out where their names will appear on the ballots.
With three weeks until Australians cast their ballots at the May 3 poll, the number of people enrolled to vote has reached a new high at almost 18,098,797, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) revealed.
Compared to the 2022 election, about 870,000 more people have been enrolled, representing a 5 per cent rise.
This is the third election in a row where a record has been set for the national enrolment rate, Australian Electoral Commissioner Jeff Pope said.
“Well done, Australia,” he said.
“Record enrolment like this doesn’t happen by accident, it represents a huge amount of work on the part of the AEC to engage with voters and reduce barriers for enrolment, and of course a fantastic effort from eligible Australians to get enrolled.”
The vast majority of this growth came from those who have turned 18 and were enrolling to vote for the first time.
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The AAP earlier debunked claims on social media that the new voters are not migrants “imported” by Labor.
The electoral commission will conduct the ballot draws for candidates at midday on Friday.
This means parliamentarians and wannabe politicians will find out the order in which their names appear on the ballot paper.
The order can carry weight given that voters tend to look at the top lines of lists of candidates, rather than all the way down, which can disadvantage those placed lower.
