Northern Territory Consolidated Regulations Northern Territory Consolidated Regulations45. Informal ballot paper
(1) A ballot paper is informal:
(a) unless it is:
(i) printed by a printer authorised by the returning officer to print ballot papers for the election; or
(ii) created for the election by an officer and initialled by an officer; or
(b) unless it is marked with a vote clearly indicating the order of the voter's preference for all candidates; or
(c) if the returning officer is satisfied the voter can be identified because of a mark or other writing on it.
(2) However, a voter is taken to have indicated the order of the voter's preference for all candidates if:
(a) the voter has placed consecutive whole numbers in candidate squares indicating the voter's first preference for 1 candidate and other preferences for all remaining candidates except 1 whose candidate square has been left blank; or
(b) there are 2 candidates only and the voter has placed the number "1" in 1 candidate square and left the other candidate square blank.
(3) The candidate whose candidate square has been left blank is taken to be last in the voter's order of preference.
(4) A ballot paper is not informal merely because of some other error or misdescription unless the returning officer is satisfied that the error or misdescription is likely to have misled the voter, thus causing the vote to miscarry.
Note
It follows that if a candidate's name appears on a ballot paper in an incomplete form, or is misspelled, the ballot paper would not be informal unless the returning officer were satisfied that the deficiency or error is likely to have caused doubt or confusion about the identity of the candidate.