15 Facts About Postal voting

Postal voting is voting in an election where ballot papers are distributed to electors by post, in contrast to electors voting in person at a polling station or electronically via an electronic voting system.

In some elections postal voting is the only voting method allowed and is referred to as all-postal voting.

Research, focused on the United States and using data from states where postal voting is widely available—California, Oregon and Washington—shows that the availability of postal voting tends to increase voter turnout.

Coordinated, large-scale fraud by postal voting is likely hard to pull off undetected because the large number of interested parties as well as a large number of scholars and analysts who are capable of detecting statistical outliers in vote totals signifying large-scale fraud.

All-postal voting is a form of postal voting in which all electors receive their ballot papers through the post, not just those who requested an absentee ballot.

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The Cook Government's bill to restore postal voting was one of the "triggers" for the double dissolution prior to the 1914 election.

Postal voting was eventually restored by the Hughes Government in 1918 and has not been challenged since, although the provisions and requirements have been amended on a number of occasions.

Victoria passed a similar law in 1899, and the first federal postal voting legislation was modelled on the 1896 South Australian act.

Postal voting votes are available to those who will be absent from their electoral division through travel, or who those are unable to attend a polling booth due to illness, infirmity, "approaching childbirth", caring responsibilities, reasonable fears for their safety, religious beliefs, imprisonment, status as a silent elector, or employment reasons.

Postal voting voters receive their ballot and a prepaid envelope containing their name and address, as well as a predetermined security question from the PVA.

Ability to vote when in-person Postal voting is not possible was first introduced with the Military Voters Act in 1917, giving the right to vote to all Canadian soldiers.

Use of special Postal voting rules including vote by mail has grown with each election.

Postal voting existed in France until 1975, when it was banned due to fears of voter fraud.

Absentee Postal voting has existed in Germany since 1957, originally in order to ensure that all German citizens, especially the old, sick, and disabled, and citizens living abroad, have the opportunity to participate in elections.

Postal voting is accepted for voters who are staying abroad and are not close to a foreign station or other voting place.