Victorian voting systems

Different types of voting systems are used to decide the result in Victorian State and local council elections:

What system is used for the State Legislative Assembly (Lower House)?
How does full preferential voting work?
What system is used for the State Legislative Council (Upper House)?
How are votes counted under proportional representation for the Upper House?
What systems are used for local council elections?
How does proportional representation work in local council elections?

What system is used for the State Legislative Assembly (Lower House)?

The system used for the State Legislative Assembly (Lower House) is called full preferential voting. Under this system, you need to place a 1 in the box against your preferred candidate on the ballot paper, and then number all of the remaining boxes in the order of your preference (2, 3, 4 and so on).

The system is called "full preferential" because you must number every box on the ballot paper. If you do not number every box correctly, your vote is informal and cannot be counted.


Example of a State Legislative Assembly (Lower House) ballot paper

How does full preferential voting work?

In this system, the candidate who gains more than 50% of the votes is elected. Candidates can gain more than 50% of the votes either through first-preference votes for them, or through preferences being transferred from other candidates.

View a slideshow illustrating the full preferential count method.

Read more about the steps involved in a full preferential count.

What system is used for the State Legislative Council (Upper House)?

The system used for the State Legislative Council (Upper House) is a type of proportional representation. Proportional representation is designed to ensure that candidates are elected in proportion to their support in the electorate. There are many different types of proportional representation. The type used in Victorian Legislative Council elections is similar to the type used for the Senate in Federal elections.

Under this system, you can vote either above or below the black line on the ballot paper.

• If you choose to vote above the line, you must only place a 1 in the box above the party or group you want to support (your preferences will follow those determined by the "voting ticket" lodged by the party or group and made available for inspection by the VEC); or
• If you choose to vote below the line, you must place a 1 against your most preferred candidate and then number at least four other boxes in the order of your preference (i.e. 2, 3, 4 and 5). You can number as many more boxes below the line in the order of your preference as you wish. (This is known as optional preferential voting.)

Example of a State Legislative Council (Upper House) ballot paper

How are votes counted under proportional representation for the Upper House?

Candidates must win a specific proportion (or quota) of the electorate's votes to be elected.

With five candidates to be elected for a Legislative Council (Upper House) region, the quota is 1/6 of the votes plus 1. These votes can either be first-preference votes for the candidate, or preferences transferred from other candidates. Voters’ preferences are vital in deciding the result of the election, so it is worthwhile checking the "voting tickets" if you want to vote above the line, or thinking about where to put your preferences if you want to vote below the line.

View a slideshow illustrating the proportional representation count method.

Read more about the steps involved in a proportional representation count.

What systems are used for local council elections?

There are two systems used for local council elections:

• for a single-councillor ward, the system is full preferential voting
• for a multi-councillor ward or an unsubdivided council, the system is a type of proportional representation.

How does proportional representation work in local council elections?

Under this system, you need to place a 1 in the box against your most preferred candidate on the ballot paper, and then number all of the remaining boxes in the order of your preference (2, 3, 4 and so on).



Example of a local council ballot paper

Candidates must win a specific proportion (or quota) of the electorate's votes to be elected.

View a slideshow illustrating the proportional representation count method.

Read more about the steps involved in a proportional representation count.