Voting Explainer

Voting in the Treaty Elections is open from Saturday 13 May to 3 June. 

If you are already enrolled, you will receive an email with your personal voting link – just follow the prompts to vote online. Otherwise drop into one of our many voting locations to cast your vote in person or contact us to request a postal vote form. 

If you’re not yet enrolled, don’t worry – people can still enrol during the voting period! 

Once enrolled, contact us to request your personal online voting link. You can also enrol and vote in-person at any voting booth. 

Your vote matters, so enrol now to vote! 

Voting Details

You must enrol with the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria to be able to vote in this Treaty election. 

It is easiest to enrol online here. If you are already on the roll, you can update your details here.  

You can also enrol in-person when you go to vote, or by phoning the Assembly on 1800 873 289 and asking a staff member to go through the process with you.  

If you have questions about enrolling, please email enrolments@firstpeoplesvic.org    

The methods of voting in this election are online, via post and in-person. 

Voting

To cast a valid vote you only need to place a ‘1’ in the box next to the candidate you wish to vote for. 

You can continue to number the boxes to show your preference for other candidates. 

For example, you would place a ‘1’ in the box next to your favourite candidate, and ‘2’ in the box next to your second favourite candidate, a ‘3’ for your third and so on. 

This is what is referred to as an optional preferential ballot

You can number all of the boxes or just some of them. As long as you’ve put at least a ‘1’ in one box – then your vote will be counted. 

For example, all of the following vote are valid. You can number (in your preferred order) as many boxes as you would like. 

Online 

When voting opens, you will receive a personal voting link to the email address you used to enrol to with the Assembly.  

The email come from “First Peoples’ Assembly Returning Officer” and the subject line will be “First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria General Election – Voting Link”. If you can’t find it, check your junk folder. 

If you enrol to vote during the voting period, contact us at engagement@firstpeoplesvic.org to request your personal voting link and it will be emailed to you. 

You will also receive a series of reminder emails throughout the election if you haven’t yet cast your vote. 

If you vote online, you do not need to vote via post or in-person. 

In-person 

If you are casting a vote in person at a polling booth you must approach the member of staff from the Assembly sitting at the ballot table so they can check your enrolment.

Once your enrolment is confirmed, you will be issued a ballot from a member of OGL Group’s staff – our independent election provider. 

You will then be able to write down your vote on the ballot paper and place your completed ballot in the ballot box.  

You can enrol at the polling place. Your vote will be treated as provisional and will not count until you provide all ID information required for enrolment.  

If you are enrolling to vote at the polling booth, or, you are voting outside of your region, your vote will need to be placed in a blank envelope which will be provided to you, and will then be put into a second envelope with your details on the front and will only be put into the ballot once your details are confirmed. (These go in as blank envelopes so your vote remains anonymous.) 

Postal vote 

If you wish to vote by post, request a postal vote to be sent to you by emailing the Assembly at engagement@firstpeoplesvic.org or phoning 1800 873 289. 

If you are casting a postal vote, you fill out the ballot paper and place your vote in a blank envelope which is then placed into a larger voting declaration envelope which you put your details on and sign the declaration. This then goes into the larger Reply Paid envelope addressed to the Returning Officer which you need to post.