Canberra’s voters are to be given more time to enrol to vote in the upcoming Territory election with the enrolment period to be extended up to and including Election Day.
Attorney-General Gordon Ramsay said the extension was delivered on recommendations made by the Legislative Assembly’s Select Committee on the 2016 ACT Election and the Electoral Act.
“The changes being implemented in the Legislative Assembly today will ensure an equitable and transparent electoral process in the ACT come the October 2020 election,” Mr Ramsay said.
“This includes allowing people to enrol to vote until the close of the polls on election day so that those who turn 18 prior to polling day and those that have lived in the ACT for 30 days or more can be added to the count,” he said.
“This measure more robustly supports and recognises the right of young people, and those that have relocated to the ACT, to vote and have their say in the ACT election.”
Mr Ramsay said other important changes included increasing accountability in election activity by requiring people responsible for authorising election materials in print or electronic form to list their full names and the entities they represent.
“This will allow voters to judge election material based on the credibility of the source and be fully informed when casting their votes,” he said.
“The Bill will also allow for the immediate removal of electoral advertising signs from public land that don’t comply with the requirements.”
He said the changes followed community feedback from previous elections.
