Latest news with #TasmanianElectoralCommission
ABC News
5 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Tasmanian election 2025: When will we know the result?
Tasmanian election day is here. A record number of people in the state have already voted early — over one-quarter of eligible Tasmanian voters. If you're eagerly awaiting an election outcome tonight, you might need to temper your expectations. Polls have consistently pointed to a likely hung parliament and a large crossbench, meaning a clear winner might not emerge right away. And then there's all the pre-polling votes to count. It all depends on how close the result is. If one of the major parties emerges with a clear majority of seats, then the ABC will be able to confidently call the winner. That magic number of seats for a majority government in Tasmania is 18. But based on primary voting intention polling, no party is likely to convert primary votes into majority government. But the expectation, according to polling released during the campaign, is the election will result in a hung parliament. Political analyst Kevin Bonham told ABC Radio Mornings the count will be less complete tonight than last year's election, because postal votes won't be counted on the night. But, he said we should have a good idea of where things are heading by the end of tonight. "We may well know the majority of seats, but then there may be more in doubt than last time," Dr Bonham said. The Tasmanian Electoral Commission (TEC) says rechecks and further counting of first preferences will happen next week, while they wait for the arrival of final postal votes up until 10am on Tuesday 29 July. A full distribution of preferences then begins, which can take several days to complete. The first preferences will start to be counted as soon as polling closes, with the results expected to start coming in about 6:45pm tonight. The TEC runs the election and will call the winner. But it won't do that until the process of counting, rechecking and distributing preferences happens — and this can take weeks. So, the ABC uses a modelling system that is fed with TEC counting data to project a winner. On Friday afternoon, the TEC said it expects at least 130,000 people will have cast their vote early, either at a pre-poll centre, by postal vote or over the phone. Well over a quarter, and probably a third, who are early voters," TEC electoral commissioner Andrew Hawkey said. Last election, the number of people who voted early was just under 110,000. Because of that significant increase, only nine of the 15 pre-poll centres will start to be counted tonight. "What we're going to do is focus on getting the nine that we can get done, hopefully by the 11:00pm shut off," Mr Hawkey said. "Then the further six of them will be completed on the Sunday, hopefully by about 2:00pm. "Last year we had, well after midnight, four or five of our polls coming in." Mr Hawkey said postal vote counting won't begin until Thursday next week due to a new system where the TEC checks to make sure postal voters have not voted twice. The last Tasmanian election was on March 23, 2024. Premier Jeremy Rockliff called the snap election after two former-Liberals MPs, who moved to the crossbench to sit as independents the year before, threatened to pull confidence and supply. Mr Rockliff had hoped the election would restore his government back to a stable Liberal majority. This didn't happen. The Liberals won 14 seats, Labor won 10, the Greens claimed five, JLN won three, and three seats went to independent MPs. On the night, Liberal leader Jeremy Rockliff claimed victory and said Tasmanians had sent a "clear message" about who they wanted to govern the state, despite a decline in the party's primary vote. Then-Labor leader Rebecca White refused to concede defeat on the night, and Tasmanians went to bed unsure who would govern in the coming weeks. The next day, Ms White declared Labor had lost the state election and wouldn't attempt to form government, leaving the door open for the Liberals to form minority government. At last year's election, it appeared early on that two independents would win seats — Kristie Johnston and David O'Byrne. But almost a fortnight later, independent candidate Craig Garland surprised everyone with an 11th hour win in Braddon. As preferences were distributed, he raced past the Greens because of Shooters, Farmers and Fishers party preferences, then past the Liberal's candidate Giovanna Simpson on Greens preferences. According to Dr Bonham, Mr Garland received the lowest primary vote that has resulted in a win for a lone independent ever. His victory complicated things for the Liberals in negotiating with the crossbench to form minority government.
ABC News
13-07-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
How not to stuff up your vote at the Tasmanian election this month
How do I fill in my ballot paper? What happens if I draw pictures on it? Can I number every box? With yet another state election looming, these questions are again at the forefront of Tasmanians' minds. As politicians and political hopefuls scramble together their campaigns ahead of the upcoming poll, the authority that runs it has been working on a campaign of its own. Tasmania leads the country in casting informal votes — votes that do not meet the rules and are not counted towards the election result. At the 2024 state election, 6.31 per cent of voters cast informal votes, up from 5.13 per cent at the 2021 poll. The increase in the informal vote has prompted the Tasmanian Electoral Commission to ramp up its efforts to educate people on how to make their vote count. Some probably are, but the TEC's analysis of informal ballots papers from the 2024 state election found while some were deliberate, most of them appeared to have unintentional mistakes. More than 9,500 votes were deemed intentionally informal, compared with 13,895 that appeared unintentional. Tasmanian Electoral Commissioner Andrew Hawkey said ballot papers classified as intentionally informal are those left blank or have messages or comments, rather than those that show an attempt to fill out candidate boxes. Thanks for asking — here are the rules you need to follow. Numbers. Don't be like the 4,527 Tasmanians whose vote didn't count last year because they used ticks and crosses. That figure has been steadily on the rise since the TEC began tracking informal votes in 1992. The numbers can even be written in a language other than English, as long as your vote includes numerals from one to seven and they are legible. A minimum of seven. You have to write a number in at least seven candidate boxes, but you can number up to every box with your preferences. At last year's election, Tasmania's House of Assembly increased from 25 members to 35. In our multi-member Hare-Clark electoral system (see the video explainer for that below), it meant we moved from electing five members in each electorate to electing seven members in each. It changed how voters needed to fill out their ballot papers, from numbering a minimum of five boxes to needing to number at least seven. According to the TEC, that change appears to have contributed to the increase in the informal vote last year. "Where there were columns with less than seven candidates, there was a higher number of people who voted in those columns that did not go on to seven," Mr Hawkey said. So, on our mock ballot paper, even if you're a devoted fan of Team Marsupial, because that party only has five candidates you'll need to number at least two others from different columns to make your vote formal. Ask the friendly polling booth staff for another ballot paper and start again. Most of the unintentional informal ballots last year were from people making errors in their numbering. The common mistakes were missing numbers from the one to seven sequence, repeating a number or writing some numbers but no first preference. "We have seen where if we call the formality rules a sequence of numbers from one to seven, we're seeing that that gets broken, either because there's a number missed or a number repeated," Mr Hawkey said. It won't count — your vote needs to be anonymous. You should also fold your ballot paper before putting it in the box, to help keep it a secret. Perhaps surprisingly, yes, you can! While adding artistic flair isn't necessarily encouraged, it's not against the rules, as long as your numbers remain legible. "Over the years, we've seen a lot of interesting artwork on ballot papers, there's the traditional ones that I'm sure people know what I'm thinking about," Mr Hawkey said. "But we see some lovely artwork at different times.
ABC News
12-07-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
The Tasmanian election is this Saturday. Here are the answers to some common election questions
A little over a year since the last state election, another one is almost upon Tasmania. Polling day is Saturday July 19. Got a question? Not sure how many boxes you're meant to number on the ballot paper? We'll try to answer some common queries about the election here. Polling day will be on Saturday July 19. But the option to vote early started on June 30. Back to top The Tasmanian Electoral Commission (TEC) has provided a list of locations where you can cast your vote early, if you're eligible. Have a look at this article for all of the details about pre-polling, and how to vote if you aren't going to be in the state on July 19. Back to top Click here to see where all of the polling places are located across the state. Back to top Polling booths will be open from 8am to 6pm on voting day, which is Saturday July 19. The TEC says you can vote at any of the voting locations across the state, regardless of what electorate you're registered in. Back to top When you arrive at a polling place you'll need to provide your full name, address, and confirm you haven't already voted in this election. Once you've done that, you're given a ballot paper. There'll be a list of candidates on the paper with a box next to their name — number all of the boxes in the order of your choice. For your first preference write a "1" in the box, for your second preference write a "2", and so on. Don't write your name or sign your ballot paper, and no, sorry, you can't take a selfie while voting. Back to top Yes! You need to number at least seven boxes, otherwise your vote won't count. And remember, you can only use each number once. Voting is compulsory in Tasmania. At last year's election, Tasmania became the country's leader in votes that don't count — meaning many voters either deliberately or accidentally didn't comply with the rules. There are instructions for how to vote on your ballot paper and you can also ask polling booth staff for help. Back to top No, sorry. Back to top The TEC has provided a handy resource on its website here to help you work out what electorate you are in. Just enter your address, and you'll be able to see which electorate you reside in. There are five electorates in Tasmania, and at this election there will be seven MPs voted in from each one. 161 candidates across the state have been nominated to contest the 2025 House of Assembly elections. That includes: Check here to see who the candidates are. Back to top Yep, the last election was held on March 23, 2024. But another surprise election was called in early June this year after a successful no-confidence motion was moved by the Labor opposition against Liberal Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff. Labor leader Dean Winter said it was because of three main issues: Rather than resign after the parliament passed the no-confidence vote, Mr Rockliff asked Tasmanian governor Barbara Baker to dissolve the House of Assembly, sending the state back to an election so voters could decide which party will lead Tasmania. Back to top The Tasmanian Liberals are currently in power, and Premier Jeremy Rockliff is seeking to retain his leadership of the state. Mr Rockliff has been premier since 2022, and the Tasmanian Liberals have been in power since 2014. Tasmanian Labor's Dean Winter is hoping to unseat Mr Rockliff and become the new Tasmanian premier. Mr Winter became the Tasmanian Labor leader after last year's election, following Rebecca White's resignation as leader after losing the election. In this election voters will decide which politicians sit in Tasmanian Parliament's House of Assembly (the lower house). There are 35 seats to fill. Back to top There are four political parties who are running candidates in this election. Those are the Liberals, Labor, the Greens, and the Nationals. The ABC has compiled a list of election promises that each party has made this election campaign. There are also many candidates running as independents, each with their own platforms, policies, and promises. Back to top There are 35 seats in the Tasmanian Parliament's lower house. If the party that gets the most votes wins 18 or more seats, they get to govern in what's called a majority government. But if the party gets fewer seats than that, it needs to negotiate with the crossbench — potentially made up of the Greens, the Nationals, and independents — to get their support and form a minority government. Back to top Tasmania, and the ACT, use a different system than the rest of the country. It's called Hare-Clark. If you want to get into the weeds of it, here's an animal inspired guide we used at the 2021 state election to explain it. Back to top In Australia, where freedom reigns, you can do what you like. Hooray for that! Back to top
ABC News
29-06-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Can I vote early in the Tasmanian state election? When does pre-polling start?
Tasmania's state election will be held on Saturday 19 July and early voting is now open. Here is some information about getting your vote in ahead of polling day. You bet! If you expect to be unable to vote in person on polling day, then you're able to cast your vote early. Pre-poll voting centres will be available across the state from Monday 30 June. The Tasmanian Electoral Commission (TEC) has provided a list of early voting locations here. There are seven early voting locations statewide that are now open, with a further eight to open on 14 July. They'll be open from 8.30am until 5.30pm weekdays and until 6pm on Friday 18 July. A quiet voting hour for voters with sensory needs is available at all pre-poll locations from 10 am to 11 am daily. There are a few different ways to vote early: Pre-poll voting centres will be open at various locations across the state from Monday. Once you arrive at a pre-poll centre, you must declare you are unable to attend a polling place on polling day before you can cast your vote. If you aren't able to vote in person on July 19, you can apply to vote by post. You need to apply through the TEC by completing and returning an application form. Postal ballot packs will be sent out from Monday June 30. Applications close at 4pm on Friday July 11. You can also vote early by telephone. The TEC recommends this as the easiest option if you expect to be interstate or overseas on polling day. It is also a convenient option for voters with a print disability, which the TEC defines as: Telephone voting will be available from 11am on Monday 7 July. More information about telephone voting will become available during the week. TEC mobile voting teams will be set up at nursing homes and hospitals around the state. Further details, including a list of locations, will be published in the week commencing Monday, June 30. And for voters with low-vision or visual disabilities, special terminals are available in Hobart, Launceston and Burnie, with more to be made available on election day. They will be open from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm weekdays and until 6 pm on Friday 18 July, and locations can be found here. The TEC has you covered. Just enter your address at this link here to find out which division you live in. Voting is compulsory in Tasmania. Tasmania uses a different system from the rest of the country, called Hare-Clark. You need to number seven boxes on your ballot paper, otherwise your vote won't count! At last year's election, Tasmania became the country's leader in votes that don't count — meaning a lot of voters either deliberately or accidentally didn't comply with the rules. There are instructions for how to vote on your ballot paper and you can also ask polling booth staff for help. No, sorry. We are not there yet.
