How-to-vote card guidelines

About how-to-vote cards

A how-to-vote card (HTVC) is a printed guide that explains how a person or group wants you to fill out your ballot paper.

A HTVC has voting instructions and often includes a picture of a ballot paper, with the boxes numbered the way the person or group wants you to vote.

On election day, registered HTVCs are the only material that can be handed out within 400 metres of voting centres.

Anyone can register a HTVC, including:

independent candidates
registered political parties
registered upper house groups
community groups, organisations or charities
businesses
trade unions
members of the public.

You must register your how-to-vote card with us if you want:

to hand it out within 400 metres of any voting centre on election day
our mobile voting teams to carry it for mobile voting sessions.

You don’t need to register your HTVC with us but it must be properly authorised if you want to:

hand it out more than 400 metres from any voting centre on election day
hand it out at an early voting centre
hand it out at a low sensory voting centre
publish it online.

All how-to-vote cards must be properly authorised

How-to-vote cards (online or printed, registered or unregistered) are regulated separately from ‘electoral material’. They must contain:

the name and address of the person who authorised the HTVC
the name and place of business of the printer or publisher.

There are penalties for how-to-vote cards that aren’t authorised properly, including missing printer details.

Registering a how-to-vote card

HTVC registration opens on the first business day after the final nomination day.

There will be detailed instructions on registering a HTVC in the 2026 candidate handbook.

You can only lodge an application for registration during the HTVC registration period, from Tuesday 10 November to 12 noon on Friday 20 November.

The application, checklist and declaration forms are in the candidate kit, which will be available shortly. You can also pick up a hard copy of any of these documents at the election office during the registration period.

Types of how-to-vote cards

Single

Anyone can register a single HTVC with voting instructions for one district or one region.

Combined

Registered political parties can register combined HTVCs with voting instructions for more than one district or region election. The political party must have an endorsed candidate in each electorate the how-to-vote cards represent.

Multiple

A multiple HTVC contains voting instructions for elections in every electorate a registered political party has endorsed candidates in.

Technical requirements

Please prepare your how-to-vote card carefully.

For each HTVC you want to register you must:

submit a final, print-ready digital copy (PDF only, ideally 4MB or smaller)
submit 2 hard copies
complete a declaration form.

Follow the HTVC card applicant checklist to avoid delays or refused registration. By law, we can only register HTVCs that meet requirements. The checklist is in the 2026 candidate handbooks.

Registered political parties

Registered political parties must register their HTVCs directly at our head office. We’ll provide information on this process directly to each political party.

Independent candidates, groups, and others

Independent candidates and other applicants must submit their HTVC application to the relevant election manager.

You must make an appointment to register your HTVC, in person, at your district election office.

We will provide detailed instructions closer to the election.