Australian Electoral Rolls

The Australian electoral rolls are compiled each election-year with the mandate to include every Australian citizen age seventeen and older. Due to the fact that voting is compulsory in Australia, citizens must, by law, sign up for the electoral register with their permanent address.

The electoral roll is made publicly accessible at all Australian Electoral Commission Offices for the purposes of voter verification and fraud prevention. Specifically, authorized entities such as public health agencies, members of Parliament, and medical researchers are also authorized to access the electoral role in order to obtain names, addresses, gender and birth dates.

Australians Electoral Rolls History

The first Australian electoral roll was compiled in the 1840s in the states of Victoria and New South Wales. The first federal electoral roll in Australia came out in 1901 following the federation of the commonwealth of Australia.

Electoral rolls are common among democratic countries, with such nations as New Zealand, Britain, Ireland, and Wales having electoral rolls similar to Australia's. While methods of registration vary, the nations are united in their efforts to maintain accurate and updated information on the whereabouts of their citizenry.

Why voting population increased?

In Australia, only landowners were allowed to vote in the mid 19th century so the early registers were less than complete. As the laws changed and first all males, then all women were added to the voting population, the Australian electoral roll became a valuable resource for keeping track of the names, gender, birth information and occupation of each and every Australian over the age of 21.

With the reduction of the voting age from 21 to 18, the rolls increased. A fairly recent addition is the inclusion of British citizens who have resided in Australia prior to January of 1984. This sector of the electoral register comprises less than 10% of the total population. By limiting the rolls, the Australian electorate maintains its singularity of purpose.

The Australian Electoral Register

The Australian electoral register is an invaluable resource for people living in Australia interested in tracing their ancestral roots. Genealogists can access information on historic Australian registers which have been made generally available through public libraries.

While past Australian census records are not accessible because of privacy legislation, the electoral rolls are governed by different rules and present a wonderful opportunity for amateur genealogists to locate the Australian branches of their family trees .

How can I change my name on the electoral role

If voting is important to you, and you have recently changed (legally) your name and/or your address and would also like it to be updated in the Australian Electoral Comissiom (AEC), you've got to the right place.

All you have to do in order to update your name or address, is to complete three simple steps:
1) fill a form
2) print and sign the form
3) email it to AEC
In order to do that right now, click on the following link: update enrolment .

Australians People Records Search Capabilities

The search capabilities of this website are valuable keys to the gateway which opens into the wealth of information contained in the Australian electoral rolls. With the aid of our cutting edge technology, our clients can easily find the full names, addresses, gender, and often the occupation of the individual they would like to find. Because the most recent roll applications no longer require that an applicant include his or her occupation, that piece of data may not be available, depending on the date parameters.

If the Australian citizen in question is 17 or older, chances are excellent that he or she is registered on the electoral roll , and with our assistance, their pertinent information can be found.

To immediately launch your search, insert the first and last name of the person you would like to locate in the search box located at the top of this page.