Referendums Act 1997

An elector who wishes to vote during the period beginning 3 days after the cut-off day for electoral rolls for the referendum and ending at 6p.m. on the day before polling day may make a pre-poll ordinary vote by following the procedures stated in this section.

The elector is to go to a pre-poll voting office for the elector’s electoral district.

At the pre-poll voting office, the elector must ask the issuing officer for a ballot paper for the electoral district.

If the elector—

has a ballot paper for the electoral district and declaration envelope for the referendum; 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 if the issuing officer is satisfied the person is entitled to vote at the referendum for the electoral district.

The issuing officer may ask questions of a person requesting a ballot paper for the purpose of deciding whether the person is entitled to vote at the referendum for the electoral district.

The issuing officer must comply with section 32 if the issuing officer has asked questions under subsection (6) and suspects a person claiming to be a particular elector is not the elector.

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 any 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 pre-poll voting office; 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 pre-poll voting office; and

leave the pre-poll voting office.