Can a preference be “wasted” in Australia?

The short answer

a preference be “wasted” in Australia?

A preference is not automatically wasted simply because the candidate you preferenced first does not win. Under Australia's preferential voting system, your vote transfers to your next preferred candidate if your first choice is eliminated during the count, provided you have numbered preferences for continuing candidates. In the House of Representatives, your vote continues to transfer through your numbered preferences until one candidate achieves more than 50 per cent of the formal votes remaining in the count. In the Senate, your vote may transfer according to your preferences until the required number of candidates reach the quota. A preference can be described as exhausted when your ballot paper runs out of numbered preferences while candidates are still being elected or eliminated, meaning your vote no longer contributes to the outcome at that point. However, this is a mathematical feature of the count process, not a sign that you have done anything wrong — numbering more preferences gives your vote more opportunities to influence the result.

This guide explains the federal position first. State, territory and local elections can use different rules, dates and ballot systems, so the commission named on your election material is the final operational source.

The useful question is not only “what is the rule?” but also “who administers it, which document controls it, and when might it change?” That distinction prevents an accurate general explanation from becoming wrong advice in a particular election, chamber or policy setting.

Evidence review

How preferential voting works in Australia

Australia uses a preferential voting system for federal elections, which means voters rank candidates in order of preference rather than simply marking a single choice. In the House of Representatives, voters must number every candidate on the green ballot paper, starting with 1 for their most preferred candidate, then 2, 3, and so on until every box is numbered. In the Senate, voters have two options: they can vote above the line by numbering at least six boxes for their preferred parties or groups, or they can vote below the line by numbering at least twelve boxes for individual candidates. The key point is that Australian voters express an ordered set of preferences, not just a first choice. This system is fundamentally different from first-past-the-post systems used in countries such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, where only the candidate with the most votes in a single count wins.

Evidence review

What happens during the count

In a House of Representatives count, the AEC first counts all the number 1 preferences on the formal ballot papers — that is, every voter's first choice. If one candidate receives more than 50 per cent of these first-preference votes, that candidate is elected. This is known as an absolute majority. However, it is common for no candidate to achieve an absolute majority on first preferences alone. When this happens, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated from the count. The ballot papers that had this candidate as their first preference are then examined, and each is transferred to the candidate who received the voter's second preference. This process of elimination and transfer continues, candidate by candidate, until one candidate accumulates more than 50 per cent of the votes remaining in the count. This is sometimes called an instant runoff — voters only need to mark one ballot paper, but their preferences are counted as if they were participating in a series of runoff elections.

Evidence review

When preferences become exhausted

A preference becomes exhausted when a ballot paper cannot be transferred to a continuing candidate because all the candidates the voter has numbered have been either elected or eliminated. For example, if you numbered only candidates A, B and C on your House of Representatives ballot, and all three are eliminated before any candidate reaches a majority, your ballot paper has no further preferences to transfer. At that point your vote is removed from the count — it no longer influences which of the remaining candidates is elected. In practice, exhaustion is relatively rare in House of Representatives elections because voters are required to number every box. However, in Senate elections where voters can choose to number fewer than all candidates, exhaustion is more common, especially among below-the-line voters who do not number all candidates. The term wasted is informal and somewhat misleading because your earlier preferences did participate in the count — they were simply unable to affect the outcome once all your numbered candidates were out of the running.

Evidence review

The Senate count and preference distribution

The Senate uses a proportional representation system with preferential voting, which is more complex than the House of Representatives count. Candidates are elected when they reach a quota of formal votes, calculated by dividing the total number of formal ballot papers by one more than the number of vacancies to be filled, then adding one. When a candidate reaches the quota, their surplus votes — the votes they received above the quota — are transferred to the next available preferences on those ballot papers at a reduced transfer value. If no candidate has reached the quota and all surpluses have been distributed, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and their preferences are distributed at full value. This process continues until all Senate vacancies for the state or territory are filled. Senate ballot papers can be excluded from the count if all the preferences marked on them are exhausted before all vacancies are filled. The AEC counts Senate votes using a computerised system that scans and records every preference, with human verification at key stages.

Evidence review

Does numbering fewer preferences waste your vote?

Numbering fewer preferences does not waste your vote in the sense of making it informal — your ballot paper is still counted as a formal vote provided you meet the minimum numbering requirements. However, numbering fewer preferences does mean your vote has fewer opportunities to influence the outcome if your early preferences are eliminated. The AEC's advice is straightforward: the more preferences you number, the more say you have in who gets elected. If you vote above the line on the Senate ballot paper and number only six boxes, your preferences can only flow to the six groups you have chosen — they cannot reach any other candidates. If you number twelve or more below the line, your vote can reach many more candidates. None of this means your vote is wasted; it simply means the extent of your vote's influence through the count is proportional to the number of preferences you express.

Evidence review

Common misconceptions about preferences

One common misconception is that voting for a minor party or independent as your first preference is a wasted vote because that candidate has little chance of winning. Under preferential voting, this is not true. If your first preference is eliminated, your vote transfers to your second preference — it is not discarded. A second misconception is that a ballot paper that does not end up contributing to the election of the winning candidate is wasted. In a preferential system, every vote that remains in the count contributes to determining which candidates are eliminated and in what order, which can affect the flow of preferences to other candidates. A third misconception is that parties can redirect your preferences behind the scenes. Parties can suggest how you should direct your preferences through how-to-vote cards, but only you control how you number your ballot paper. Parties cannot alter your preferences after you have voted.

Common questions

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