Ahead of the NSW election, someone asked Antony Green how to vote — this was his response

Updated

Casey Thatcher remembers being taught how to vote as a Year 6 student.

More than a decade later, the 23-year-old from Cessnock in NSW's Hunter region admits she got confused last time she had to do it.

"I came out of the voting booth and told my friend what I did," she told the ABC.

"He was like: 'That's not how you do it'. I want to make my vote count this time."

More than 110,000 people will head to the polls for the first time for this Saturday's NSW election.

As part of the ABC's You Ask, We Answer campaign, Casey sent us this question: "So, how do you vote properly?"

It ended up on election analyst Antony Green's desk.

This is how you vote properly

At the NSW election you will be given two ballot papers.

The smaller ballot paper is to elect a representative for your local area in the state's Lower House — the Legislative Assembly.

The giant ballot paper is to elect 21 state-wide members to serve in the state's Upper House — the Legislative Council.

There are differences in how you fill in the two ballot papers, but the process on how you decide to vote is the same — you vote by numbering squares to show the order you would like to see candidates or parties elected.

Lower House voting explained

The small ballot paper, for the Lower House, is for your local seat and has candidate names and parties listed down the paper.

Put the number "1" in the square next to the candidate you would most like to see elected.

You can then show a preference for a second-choice candidate by putting a "2" in the box next to their name, then a "3", and so on.

NSW uses optional preferential voting, which I explained in this article published yesterday.

But be warned. At the federal election in May, you'll have to number every square if you want to have your vote count.

If in doubt for either election, read the instructions on the ballot paper.

What about the Upper House?

The large ballot paper for the Upper House looks hideously confusing and requires explanation.

Parties and independent groups are listed horizontally across the ballot paper in columns.

Seats are allocated to parties proportional to their first preference vote, with preferences playing a part in the allocation of the final seats.

You have two methods of voting. The ballot paper is divided horizontally by a thick line. You can vote by number boxes for parties "above the line", or for candidates by numbering boxes "below the line".

If you vote for parties above the line, put the number "1" in the square for the party you most prefer. If you want you can then go on and mark "2", "3" etc, ordering other parties in the order you would like to see them elected.

By voting for parties, you accept your vote will go to each party's candidates in the order they are listed below the line.

If you would like to have a say over which candidates are elected for each party, you can number squares for candidates below the line.

If you vote below the line, you must number at least 15 squares.

You can choose candidates from one column or mix and match candidates from different columns.

At the federal election in May, there will be a difference in how you fill in the big ballot paper.

At federal Senate elections, the instructions say number six boxes above the line or 12 below. If in doubt for either election, read the instructions on the ballot paper.

When the votes are counted, your vote is amalgamated with those from every other voter.

In the Lower House in the federal election the votes are counted to work of the most preferred candidates in each seat.

In the Upper House, they determine the 21 most preferred candidates by proportional representation.

The more preferences you give on your ballot paper, the more likely it is that your vote will stay live in the count and play a part in determining who wins seats.

Topics: state-elections, elections, government-and-politics, nsw, sydney-2000

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