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When casting your vote at the weekend, it's important to understand the legal voting instructions to ensure your democratic voice will be heard.

To understand how to vote in the federal election, it's also important to understand how not to vote.

In electoral systems that use ranked voting, a donkey vote is one where the voter numbers the candidates in the order they appear on the ballot paper.

If there are eight candidates on the House of Representatives (green ballot paper), then a donkey voter is one who numbers these candidates top to bottom from one to eight.

The term can also refer to a voter who numbers the candidates in reverse, with one at the bottom and eight at the top.

What's important to know about this type of voting is that legally, it must still be counted.

It is not a wasted vote and your preferences will flow from first to last, according to the order you have stated on your ballot paper.

It's not at all a protest vote, as some people may think, even if it is done to show voter apathy or ignorance.

Although many countries employ ranked voting, instances of donkey voting are highest in countries that combine the system with compulsory voting laws.

For that reason, donkey votes are relatively common in Australia.

To reduce the impact of donkey voting on the democratic system, since 1983, Australia has introduced federal legislation that requires a candidate's party to be listed beside each name.

It's the hope that the party will be more familiar to voters and will inspire a more informed choice on the ballot paper.

Additionally, for each election, the order of the candidates on the ballot paper is decided randomly by the Australian Electoral Commission.

This is to not unfairly privilege candidates if their names were to be listed in alphabetical order. For that reason, the candidate that is placed at the top of the ballot paper is said to have 'picked up the donkey vote'.

An informal vote is one that does not follow voting instructions, and will not be counted.

In systems that require each candidate to be numbered, an informal vote may be one that extinguishes after only numbering one or two candidates.

Or, it may be when a voter has taken to drawing a flower (or something more explicit...) across their ballot paper instead of numbering any candidates at all.

This vote is often seen as a protest vote.

When you arrive to vote, you will be given two papers - a small House of Representatives ballot and a bigger Senate ballot.

The House of Representatives ballots vary between electorates and will include a list of the candidates' names and boxes beside them.

To vote, you will need to number every box from one to eight in the order of your choice (avoiding a donkey vote!)

There may also be the logo for the party the candidate is running for next to their name.

Senate ballots vary between states and territories and can be filled out in one of two ways - above and below the line.

Voting above the line means voting by party. You have to number at least six boxes before extinguishing your vote.

This means numbering parties from one to six in order of your preference across the top of the long white ballot paper.

Voting below the line means voting by individual candidates and you have to number at least 12 boxes from one to 12 in order of your preference, which can be across different parties.

You are only allowed to vote either below or above the line. Do not do both.

You can practice voting at https://www.aec.gov.au/Voting/How_to_vote/practice/

Preferential voting refers to the ranking system.

On the House of Representatives card (smaller green paper) you must number each of the candidates on the ballot paper in order of preference.

When these votes are counted, if no candidate obtains more than 50 per cent of the first preference votes, the candidate with the lowest amount of votes is eliminated.

Their votes are distributed to the remaining candidates according to second preferences.

This process continues until there is a candidate with a 50 per cent clear majority.

The House of Representatives ballots are counted multiple times to ensure the winner has an absolute majority of total votes.

In the Senate (longer white paper), candidates need to reach a quota of total votes which also requires ballots to be counted multiple times.

Since 2016, the Senate voting system has changed, removing the use of group voting tickets. You must now number at least six above the line or 12 below the line.

The change came about after the results of the 2013 federal election were scrutinised for the number of small and unknown parties that were elected to the Senate despite very low first preference votes.

When the new system was first introduced, it was criticised for creating voter confusion. It was assumed voters would continue to number one candidate above the line (as was previously required) and would thus generate a high return of informal (uncounted) votes.

It was also criticised for giving small parties no chance of election.

But, the Australian Electoral Commission found in 2016 that these criticisms were largely unfounded as voters quickly adapted to the new system.

Informal voting rose only slightly, and the AEC was able to count the votes with no major issues.

National videographer, filmmaker, and editor. Former features and weekender writer for The Daily Advertiser. Small, quiet, and a student of the Julie Bishop School Of Staring. Usually dressed in something colourful, always snacking on something homemade. Friend to most mothers and all dogs. Got stories? Get in touch. emma.horn@austcommunitymedia.com.au

National videographer, filmmaker, and editor. Former features and weekender writer for The Daily Advertiser. Small, quiet, and a student of the Julie Bishop School Of Staring. Usually dressed in something colourful, always snacking on something homemade. Friend to most mothers and all dogs. Got stories? Get in touch. emma.horn@austcommunitymedia.com.au

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