Part II, ‘Administration’

This chapter gives you some essential background on who is responsible for conducting the election, the different roles of the people you are likely to meet on and after election day, and expanded information on the appointment of scrutineers.

Australian Electoral Commission

Federal elections and referendums are conducted by the Australian Electoral Commission. The AEC has a national office in Canberra; an office in each of the state capital cities and Darwin; and divisional offices in or near each electoral division for the House of Representatives.

The figure below shows the structure of the AEC.

In each state and the Northern Territory, an Australian Electoral Officer (AEO) is responsible for the management of electoral activities within their state or territory. An AEO for the Australian Capital Territory is appointed temporarily for each election period.

Each electoral division has a permanent Divisional Returning Officer (DRO) who is responsible for the electoral administration in that division, including maintaining the electoral roll and conducting elections in that division.

The DRO is the returning officer for the House of Representatives election and referendums in the division, and the AEO is the returning officer for the Senate election in their state or territory.

At the polling place

At the polling place you are likely to come into contact with several people who have an official role.

For each federal election, the DRO arranges where the polling places will be and appoints the polling officials in the division.

Under the provisions of the Act, the officer-in-charge of each polling place is called the Presiding Officer during polling, from 8 am to 6 pm on election day. From 6 pm, however, during the counting of the votes (the scrutiny), this officer is called the Assistant Returning Officer (ARO).

To overcome confusion, the AEC commonly uses the term officer-in-charge to refer to both the Presiding Officer and Assistant Returning Officer. Officer-in-charge is the term that you are most likely to hear in the polling place.

Most other staff employed in polling places work as issuing officers or inquiry officers. Issuing officers issue ballot papers to voters. Inquiry officers assist voters with problems that may occur during the conduct of the poll.

The Act, s. 348(1)(c)

Other than polling officials, scrutineers and electors intending to vote, no one is permitted in the polling place during the polling, except by permission of the officer-in-charge.

Appointment of scrutineers

The candidate must sign the form and give the name and address of the scrutineer. The form may be provided in person to the DRO or the officer-in-charge of a polling place, or by fax if such facilities are available.

Scrutineers may be appointed to act as a scrutineer during both the polling and the scrutiny, or different people may be appointed for each process.

Also included on the appointment form is an undertaking that each scrutineer must sign. Undertakings that scrutineers are required to make include:

• not to divulge any information with respect to a vote of an elector;
• not to interfere with or attempt to influence the vote of an elector;
• not to communicate with any person in the polling place except so far as necessary in the discharge of his or her functions; and
• see Offences by scrutineersnot to use any image recording device to record images of ballot papers or declaration envelopes.

Please note that only one scrutineer per candidate is allowed for each issuing point, which includes early voting and mobile polling teams. During the scrutiny, not more than one scrutineer for each officer counting the votes may represent a candidate.

Identification badge

When you attend a polling place or a counting centre, the AEC will supply you with a badge that identifies you as a scrutineer. You must wear this badge whenever you are acting in the role of a scrutineer.

 

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