Voting and homelessness

All Australian citizens aged 18 and over have the right to enrol and vote, regardless of their housing situation.

We work with community agencies to help people experiencing homelessness and people in prison to participate in local council and state elections.

Prison and without a home education and engagement plan

The Out of home action plan 2021-23 was the first of its kind at the VEC. Our new Prison and without a home education and engagement plan (PAWAHEEP) builds on the successes and lessons learned from this previous plan.

People in prison or without a home are the most disenfranchised people in our community. They live with complex social needs, and their personal circumstances can change very quickly. This significantly impacts how they can access our electoral system.

The PAWAHEEP aims to make voting more accessible for these people. The actions and goals in this plan outline how we will work with these communities to address the barriers to higher voting participation for these groups.

Areas of focus

The PAWAHEEP focuses on:

  • developing robust resources to support the sectors
  • ongoing engagement and education with both sectors
  • building relationships with stakeholders, such as:
    • Corrections Victoria
    • peak industry bodies
    • homelessness services
    • local prisons
    • youth justice settings.

Download the plan

Homeless, not voteless

If you are experiencing homelessness or do not have access to safe and secure housing, you can enrol with a special form. 
Transcript

Are you or someone you know experiencing homelessness? Being homeless doesn't mean you're voteless.

Local council, state and federal governments make decisions that affect you: things like housing, public transport and schools.

When you vote, your voice on these issues is heard. Everyone is equal at the ballot box and it's your human right.

If you're an Australian citizen aged 18 and over you can vote.

If you or someone you know is experiencing homelessness remind them to enrol by using the ‘no fixed address’ form. This form means a person can exercise their right to vote and won't be fined if they don't. Get this from our website.

You don't need any ID to enrol, you just need someone who's enrolled to vote in federal elections to say they know you.

Information about elections will be sent to the address you put on the no fixed address form. This address might be a homeless service.

So make every voice heard. Homeless doesn't have to mean voteless.

Enrolling without secure housing

You can apply to enrol with no fixed address if you are experiencing homelessness or don't have access to safe and secure housing.

You will be able to enrol for the address:

  • where you last lived for at least one month
  • where one of your family is currently enrolled
  • where you were born, if neither of the above apply.

You can enrol using the No fixed address form through the Australian Electoral Commission, and they will share the details with us.

Enrol with no fixed address

Out of Home Advisory Group

Our Advisory Group has representation from service users, key community agencies, and people with lived experience. The group provide advice, experience and expertise to help guide the direction of our work with people experiencing homelessness and people in prison.

It's vital that our work in this area is relevant and responsive to the needs of people experiencing homelessness. We are always looking for new members, whether you are a service user, agency worker or policy maker.

For more information or to get involved please contact us.