Election 2019: How does Australia's preferential voting system work?

Vote counting

Vote counting Source: AEC

SBS News In Depth
View Podcast Series
Download the SBS Audio appAvailable on iOS and Android

The election date is set for May 18th - and voters are encouraged to number every other box on the green House of Representatives ballot paper as well as their first choice,

Share

Latest podcast episodes

Los Angeles Fires Lawsuit
OTM - stocks, markets, inflation, currency (SBS).jpg
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen holds a press conference in Nuuk
Nicolas Maduro Transported To Court Hearing

Recommended for you

A stylised image featuring three people with their backs turned, with two Australian passports, a student visa application form, a visa stamp and an Australian flag in the background.
Graphic showing 2026 with Australian money, family icons, the Centrelink logo, and a dollar sign over a plug.
A woman holding the Venezuelan flag up in a march
Woman with eyes closed touches her hand to her temple, holding her glasses in the same hand, as she sits in a sunny spot inside at a table with her laptop.
Oil production in Venezuela
A composite image of a house, Australia and the sun
A stylised image featuring a man and a woman sitting at a table in front of a laptop, with dollar signs, buildings, documents, and a calculator motif in the background.
Four men stand in a row, with one speaking at a podium in the centre

Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News
facebook
X (Twitter)
instagram
youtube
tiktok
rss
Download our apps
SBS News
iOSAndroid
SBS Audio
iOSAndroid
SBS On Demand
iOSAndroid
Listen to our podcasts
SBS News Update
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
SBS News In Depth
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
SBS On the Money
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
SBS News in Easy English
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.
Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch nowOn Demand
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world