Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

COMMONWEALTH ELECTORAL ACT 1918 - SECT 211

             (1)  Where the names of candidates nominated in a Senate election are included in a group in accordance with a request under section 168, the candidates may, after the determinations in relation to the election required by section 210 have been made and before the expiration of 48 hours after the closing of nominations for the election, lodge with the Australian Electoral Officer a written statement that they wish voters in the election to indicate their preferences in relation to all the candidates in the election in an order specified in the statement, being an order that gives preferences to the candidates lodging the statement before any other candidate.

             (2)  Where candidates nominated for election to the Senate may lodge a statement referred to in subsection (1), they may, in lieu of lodging that statement, lodge a written statement that they wish voters in the election to indicate their preferences in relation to all the candidates in the election in either of 2 orders, or any of 3 orders, specified in the statement, being orders that:

                     (a)  give preferences to the candidates lodging the statement before any other candidate; and

                     (b)  give the preferences to the candidates lodging the statement in the same order.

             (3)  Without limiting the generality of subsection (1) or (2), a statement for the purposes of either of those subsections may specify an order of preferences by setting out the names of all the candidates in the election in the groups, and in the order, in which they would be set out in a ballot paper with squares opposite to each name and with a number in each square showing that order of preferences.

             (4)  Where a group of candidates in a Senate election lodges a statement in accordance with subsection (1) or (2) in relation to the election, that group of candidates shall be taken to have a group voting ticket, or 2 or 3 group voting tickets, as the case requires, registered for the purposes of the election, being the order of preferences, or the orders of preferences, given in that statement, as the case may be.

             (5)  Where a group of candidates in a Senate election has a group voting ticket, or 2 or 3 group voting tickets, registered for the purposes of that election, a square shall be printed on the ballot papers for use in the election above the names of those candidates.

          (5A)  A group of candidates who have lodged a statement under subsection (1) or (2) may, at any time before the period for lodging the statement expires, amend, withdraw or replace the statement by giving written notice to the Australian Electoral Officer.

             (6)  A statement under subsection (1) or (2), or notice under subsection (5A) amending, withdrawing or replacing such a statement, may be signed:

                     (a)  where all the members of the group have been endorsed by the same registered political party, by the registered officer of the party;

                     (b)  where the members of the group have been endorsed by different registered political parties, by the registered officers of all those parties;

                     (c)  in a case to which neither paragraph (a) nor paragraph (b) applies, by the candidate whose name first appears in the group on the ballot paper; or

                     (d)  in any case, by a person authorised by all the members of the group, by written instrument given to the Australian Electoral Officer with the nomination or nominations of members of the group, to sign such a statement on behalf of the group.

             (7)  A group that lodges a statement under subsection (2) shall indicate in the statement the order in which the voting tickets of the group are to be displayed in the poster or pamphlet prepared for the purposes of subsection 216(1).