2025 federal election: Your vote is your choice
Wednesday 23 April 2025
The federal election will be held on Saturday 3 May 2025.
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is committed to ensuring that all Australian citizens have an informed voting experience.
Voting in Secret: Your Right, Your Responsibility
In Australia, voting is both a right and a responsibility. You have the right to vote secretly, free from pressure, intimidation, harassment or threats. Your vote is private – no one else will know who you voted for.
Elections are a contest of ideas, and you can expect to hear opinions and perspectives from a range of sources, including friends and family, social media, the news, political leaders and candidates, and community leaders.
Political party workers or campaigners will be located outside polling places to share their views on who to vote for, and to hand out material. Voters can decide whether or not to take this material. Electoral laws require that campaigners and their material must be 6 meters away from the entrance to a polling place.
The Australian Electoral Commissioner, Jeff Pope, emphasised that one of the greatest features of Australian elections is that people vote in secret.
“When you enter a polling place or receive your ballot papers by mail, your vote is your choice. That choice is based on matters that are important to you.
“Voting in Australia is done by Australians for Australia. Only Australian citizens can vote and you are voting for the future of this country.
Protecting Your Vote
“Be alert to those who might seek to influence or interfere with the way you are going to vote. They might be people outside of Australia or they might be here with strong connections to foreign governments. If you have concerns, you can contact the AEC on 13 23 26 or call the National Security Hotline on 1800 123 400,” Mr Pope said.
Voting screens provide privacy so you can consider your choices in private and without interference. After voting, your ballot goes into a secure ballot box, continuously monitored and securely transported at all times. Ballots are never left unattended during counting.
“You don’t need to tell anyone how you voted, unless you want to. You and you alone control your vote,” Mr Pope said.
Be Alert to False and Misleading Information and other threats to election integrity
During the election, voters may come across false and misleading information about the voting process.
“Australia has one of the most trusted electoral systems in the world. It belongs to eligible voters, and we all have a responsibility to protect it. I encourage voters to stop and consider the things they see, hear, or read about the voting process,” Mr Pope said.
The Electoral Integrity Assurance Taskforce actively monitors and responds to threats to the integrity of the federal election, including foreign interference, cyber and physical security threats. Voters can be confident in the safeguards in place, but should be alert to the risks – clearly outlined in the EIAT’s recent election security environment overview.
The AEC’s website has information on Stop and Consider, which includes a range of tips and videos to help voters identify false information about the electoral process.
Electoral Boundary Changes
Since the last federal election, some electoral divisions’ names and boundaries have changed (known as a redistribution). This means:
- You might need to vote in a different electoral division.
- Your usual polling place may have changed.
Check your current electoral division at aec.gov.au/electorate
More Information
Resources in multiple languages and contact details for telephone interpreter service are available at aec.gov.au/translated.
Authorised by the Electoral Commissioner, Canberra.
