Here's what you should know before you vote in the 2025 federal election in WA
You can't blame West Australians for waking up with a sense of deja-vu this morning, as we prepare to vote in our second election in just eight weeks.
Those who haven't already voted, that is, either by post or at a pre-poll station — and more than 400,000 of us have taken that option.
In March, we voted to re-elect Labor to government in WA, with Premier Roger Cook winning a comfortable majority.
This time it's
the federal election
and the fate of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, also Labor, is on the line.
Where can I vote?
If you haven't visited a pre-polling station or lodged a postal vote, today is the day.
Polling stations will close at 6pm WST.
(
Supplied: WA Electoral Commission
)
You can find out where there's a polling station near you
Polling stations
open at 8am and close at 6pm
.
Do I need ID to vote?
No.
You just need to give your full name and address to the polling official who issues the ballot papers once you're asked.
You'll also be asked if you've already voted in the election.
Will WA votes matter?
Western Australia's votes were
crucial in propelling Anthony Albanese into the Lodge
in 2022, with Labor picking up four seats from the Liberals.
WA's emphatic support of Labor at the 2022 election handed Anthony Albanese the keys to The Lodge.
(
Supplied: AlboMP Facebook Page
)
It was a momentous election in which
five of WA's then 15 federal seats changed hands
.
The Liberals lost all of them, the remaining one falling to teal independent Kate Chaney in Curtin.
Kate Chaney holds the seat of Curtin by a slim margin.
(
ABC News: Keane Bourke
)
Whether WA's votes will have the same impact this time round depends on how the numbers are falling in the other states and territories, where polls close up to two hours earlier than ours.
While Labor has emerged as a narrow favourite to win, some polls are predicting a minority government — and WA's votes could once again prove crucial.
The 2025 election explained:
What are the seats to watch?
There are several seats that could change hands.
Both Kate Chaney in
Curtin
and Sam Lim (ALP) in
Tangney
won on preferences last time on slim margins.
Chaney holds a 1.3 per cent margin while Lim has a 2.8 per cent buffer.
Labor's Sam Lim won the previously safe Liberal seat of Tangney at the 2022 election.
(
ABC News: Courtney Withers
)
Chaney is facing off against Liberal hopeful and former Uber executive Tom White, while Lim's main competitor is Liberal Howarg Ong.
Election essentials:
Find out where your
Moore
is the Liberals' most marginal seat, held by just 0.9 per cent, and here's where it gets interesting.
Incumbent Ian Goodenough failed to win preselection for the party and is now running as an independent candidate against Liberal hopeful and former MP Vince Connelly.
The new seat of
Bullwinkel
is notionally Labor, but with its complicated mix of Wheatbelt farmers and suburban families, it's hard to know who will prevail.
Former Nationals WA leader Mia Davies is vying for the seat against the Liberals' Matt Moran and Labor's Trish Cook
Former Nationals WA leader Mia Davies is running for the seat of Bullwinkel .
(
ABC News: Matt Roberts
)
And outer suburban
Pearce
is another seat to watch, encompassing a number of areas that saw big swings against Labor at the recent state election.
Our electorates are HUGE
WA is divided into 16 electorates — two GINORMOUS ones, and the 14 much smaller ones centred in the Perth metro and South-West
Durack is by far the biggest constituency in Australia, covering a land mass of nearly 1.4 million square kilometres, and it takes up 54 per cent of the state.
The Kalumburu community in northern Western Australia is part of the vast Durack electorate.
(
ABC News: Erin Parke
)
It covers the entire north-west of the state, from the outer metropolitan fringe at Bullsbrook, all the way through to the northern tip of the state.
O'Connor is the other huge electorate and it's also more than a million square kilometres in area, stretching from the far northern Goldfields and remote desert communities of the Ngaanyatjarra Lands, through to tranquil Nannup and Bridgetown in the South-West.
Read more about the federal election:
Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025
Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on
When will we know the election result?
That's a difficult question to answer.
In some years, the result has been known before we've even finished voting in the west, thanks to that two-hour time difference with the east coast.
That seems unlikely this time, and if it's closer than expected, the make-up of a potentially minority government could take days to determine.
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