Why is the electoral roll public?

The electoral roll is a published public register. It contains information about each person who is eligible to vote in local body and national elections. The information in the electoral roll includes the name, address, occupation and electorate of each voter.

Anyone can access the information on the electoral roll. It is an open national record of who has the right to vote. That transparency is essential in an open and democratic country.

One main purpose of the published electoral roll is to protect against electoral fraud. It is an authoritative record of who can vote.

The electoral roll also allows political candidates and parties to use the voter information to contact voters.

But not everyone has to have their details published on the electoral roll. There is a protection available if you and your family members could face a personal risk if your information was accessible to people who may want to cause you harm.

The Electoral Act says a person may be listed on the unpublished electoral roll if it would be prejudicial to their personal safety, or their family, to have their details on the printed roll. You can find out more about the unpublished roll here.