Election Resources For Young People

State elections are held every four years in New South Wales. The upcoming election will be held on Saturday 25 March 2023. Young people make up a large proportion of those heading to the polls this year. Many young voters will be casting their ballots for the first time.  

Find resources below to access information on how parliament works, how to register to vote, how to fill out your ballot and what the major parties stand for. Thank you to the young people and the NSW Electoral Commission who have been working with us to create these resources

Useful Resources

NSW Parliament Information for Students on Parliament and Government  
NSW Parliament Information for Students on Elections and Voting 
NSW Parliament Glossary of Terms  
NSW Parliament website 
NSW Electoral Commission  
Australian Electoral Commission  
Electorate Finder

Why is voting important?

Young people have told us that voting is a privilege and is a way we can move towards the changes we want to see. For some young people, voting is a way for us to have a say and make sure that the incoming government represents what is important to us.

What is Parliament? What’s the difference between the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council? 

For information on how the NSW Parliament works and the difference between the Legislative Assembly (lower house) and the Legislative Council (upper house), visit the NSW Parliament information for students webpage.

How do I enrol to vote?

You can enrol to vote on the Australian Electoral Commission website. When you enrol with the Australian Electoral Commission, you will be able to vote in Federal, State and Local Government elections.  

Where can I vote if I am not in my electorate on March 25?

If you are in NSW and voting outside of your electorate on 25 March, you can complete an absent declaration vote. You can learn more about that on the NSW Electoral Commission website. 

If you are outside of NSW, there are voting locations for interstate voting across Australia and in New Zealand. You can find the voting locations on the NSW Electoral Commission website. Please note that interstate voting closes on 24 March. 

Where do I find information about how to vote? 

Visit the NSW Electoral Commission website for information about where and how to vote in the upcoming state election.  

How do I know who my local candidates are? 

Visit the NSW Electoral Commission website  to find information about your electorate and which candidates are running. 

Which parties are running in the upcoming election? How do I decide who to vote for? 

You can visit the State Register of Parties on the NSW Electoral Commission Website for a full list of the parties running candidates for the upcoming election.  

You can view the major party’s election platforms on their websites: NSW Liberal Party, NSW Labor, The Greens NSW.

What is preferential voting and how does it work? 

A candidate must win more than half of the votes to be elected. Preferential voting means that if a candidate has the most votes but doesn’t yet have more than half, voters’ preferences can be given to that candidate to draw them over the line. If a voter does not wish to give preferences, they can just place a ‘1’ in one box.

Visit the NSW Electoral Commission website for information about how votes are counted in a state election.  

What is a how-to-vote card?  

A how-to-vote card is a leaflet handed out by representatives of a party or independent candidate. The leaflet will explain how to place your preferences in your votes for the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council if you wish to preference that party.  

The how-to-vote cards are created as the flow of preferences can assist a particular party. You are under no obligation to follow the card but might like to use the card as guidance if you would like to support a particular party.  

How do I fill out the ballot? 

Visit the NSW Electoral Commission website for instructions on how to fill out your ballot on election