Referendums Act 1997

An elector is to vote by following the procedures stated in this section unless the elector—

makes a pre-poll ordinary vote under section 24C; or

makes, or must make, a declaration vote under subdivision 2; or

makes an electronically assisted vote under subdivision 2A.

The elector is to enter—

if the vote is to be taken at an ordinary polling booth—an ordinary polling booth for the elector’s electoral district during ordinary voting hours; or

if the vote is to be taken at a mobile polling booth declared for an institution or arranged for an area—the mobile polling booth during the times decided by the commission under section 15(7)(b).

In the polling booth, the elector is to request a ballot paper for the electoral district from an issuing officer.

If the elector has a ballot paper for the electoral district and declaration envelope for the referendum given to the elector under section 30 and does not intend to make a declaration vote under subdivision 2, the elector must give the ballot paper and declaration envelope to the issuing officer.

The issuing officer must issue a ballot paper for the electoral district to a person who asks for a ballot paper only if the issuing officer is satisfied that the person is entitled to vote at the referendum for the electoral district.

The issuing officer may question a person requesting a ballot paper to decide whether the person is entitled to vote at the referendum for the electoral district.

If, after asking questions under subsection (6), the issuing officer suspects that a person claiming to be a particular elector is not the elector, the issuing officer must comply with section 32.

The issuing officer must keep a record of all persons to whom the officer issues ballot papers under this section.

The issuing officer must, if a scrutineer requests it, keep a record of an objection by the scrutineer to the entitlement of a person to vote.

On being given the ballot paper, the elector must, without delay—

go alone to an unoccupied voting compartment in the polling booth; and

there, in private, mark a vote on the ballot paper in accordance with section 33; and

fold the ballot paper to conceal the vote and put it in a ballot box in the polling booth; and

leave the polling booth.