The High Court will hear a constitutional challenge to the electoral laws next week, just 17 days before the August 21 federal poll.
Advocacy group GetUp! is backing the challenge, saying as many as 100,000 Australians could have been prevented from enrolling for the poll before the electoral rolls closed on July 19.
The group will ask a full bench of the court to rule on the constitutional validity of changes made to the Electoral Act by the Howard government in 2006.
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Before the changes, electoral rolls were kept open for seven days from the time the writs for an election were issued.
Labor had legislation before the parliament to roll back the changes.
But unregistered Australians had only one working day to get their names on the electoral rolls following Prime Minister Julia Gillard's announcement of an election on July 17.
GetUp! has been campaigning to change the amendments since they were first introduced.
"We have a right to vote in Australia, and an obligation," national director Simon Sheikh said.
The court has set aside time to hear the case on Wednesday, August 4, following a directions hearing in Canberra on Thursday.
