AEC message to postal voters
Updated: 28 April 2025
The AEC is today advising that anyone who has been thinking about casting a postal vote, but is yet to apply, that it may already be too late to do so.
Electoral Commissioner Jeff Pope said that while the legislated deadline for postal vote applications is at 6pm on Wednesday 30 April, it is extraordinarily difficult to service some people who apply that late, depending on their circumstances.
“If you can vote in-person, that’s what you should do”, Mr Pope said.
“Postal vote applications have been open for a month now and we’ve been consistent in encouraging people to apply as early as possible if they need a postal vote”.
“We’ve received more than 2.4 million applications so far. Clearly most people have listened to our messages, and we thank them for that – including the more than 550,000 people that have already returned their completed postal vote”.
“While we appreciate that for some people in-person voting isn’t an option for their circumstances, Australia does have some of the best in-person voting options in the world with thousands of venues available”.
Received your postal vote pack? Don’t delay
With around 2.4 million postal vote packs already distributed the AEC is also urging anyone who has received their postal vote ballot papers to complete them as soon as possible and put them in the return mail (using the reply-paid envelope supplied as part of the pack).
Once a postal vote pack is received, a voter must have completed their ballot paper, place it in the return envelope and had it witnessed before the close of polling on election day.
Voters then have 13 days to return their completed vote to the AEC. The AEC must receive it no later than 5-pm 16 May 2025.
Plan your vote
Approximately 2.4 million people had already cast a vote at an early voting centre heading into the final week. The AEC is urging all voters who are yet to vote, to plan their vote now.
“There is 18.1 million Australians who need to interact with us”, Mr Pope said.
“Around 5 million people have already either voted or begun planning their vote – the remaining 13 million enrolled Australians need to have a plan for how’ll they’ll vote according to their circumstances”.
“Voting is compulsory for all enrolled Australians and incredibly important in determining who represents your local community in the House of Representatives and your state or territory in the Senate”. (AEC)
