Your Postal Vote Application Is Worth More Than You Think - To the Party That Sent It.
Most Australians don't know that requesting a postal vote through a political party hands that party your personal data. Here is what actually happens - and how to vote safely by post.
Early voting is open for the Nepean by-election. Farrer opens soon. If you are planning to vote by post - because you are travelling, working, or simply prefer it - there is something you should know before filling in any form that arrives in your letterbox.
Not all postal vote applications are equal.
How postal voting is supposed to work
The Australian Electoral Commission is the independent body responsible for federal elections and by-elections. It is the only official authority for processing postal vote applications and issuing ballot papers.
To apply for a postal vote through the AEC, you go directly to the AEC - online at aec.gov.au, by phone, or in person. Your application is processed by an independent government body. Your ballot paper is sent to you. You vote. You return it to the AEC.
That is the clean version.
What happens when a party sends you the form
Political parties are legally permitted to send postal vote application forms to voters. The form looks almost identical to the official AEC form. It asks for the same information - your name, address, date of birth, and electoral details.
However, when you fill in that form and return it to the party rather than the AEC, something happens that the form does not tell you. The party collects your data before forwarding your application to the AEC. They are required to forward it - your vote is not blocked or delayed. But your name, address, date of birth, and contact details go into a party database first. That data is then used for targeted campaigning - phone calls, letters, or digital ads tailored to you based on the information you provided when you thought you were simply applying to vote.
This is legal. It is deliberate. And it is one of the least understood practices in Australian electoral politics.
Data harvesting - what actually happens to your information
Political parties in Australia are exempt from the Privacy Act 1988. Your bank, your doctor, and your supermarket loyalty program must follow the Australian Privacy Principles - they must tell you what data they collect, why they collect it, store it securely, and give you the ability to access, correct, or delete it.
Parties are not bound by any of this. They can collect your data, hold it indefinitely, share it internally, and you have no legal right to access, correct, or delete it.
In practice, postal vote data is often combined with electoral roll information, consumer data, and past campaign interactions to build detailed voter profiles used for micro-targeting - identifying which voters are persuadable, on which issues, through which channels.
For most voters, the direct harm is limited. There is no documented evidence in Australia of parties using postal vote data for intimidation or doxxing. However, the risk is a lack of transparency and control. You do not know how long your data is kept, who inside the party can access it, or what happens if a party’s database is breached.
Why parties push postal votes so hard
A postal vote application returned through a party gives that party confirmed, current contact information for a voter engaged enough to apply. That is exactly the kind of voter a party wants in its database. Postal voters also tend to cast their ballot earlier in the campaign cycle, before the final week that often shifts opinions. Parties that lock in likely supporters early can focus their final week resources elsewhere.
Understanding both motivations changes how you read the unsolicited postal vote application that arrives in your letterbox before an election.
What about the AEC?
The AEC is not perfect. It has experienced data breaches, including a 2021-22 breach of electoral roll data. No system is completely secure. However, the AEC is bound by privacy laws, does not use your data for campaigning, and does not share it with political parties.
The choice is not between perfect and flawed. It is between a government body with legal constraints and political parties with almost none.
What the integrity reviews found
At the 2025 JSCEM hearings people raised concerns about the integrity of the postal voting process - specifically about parties processing applications and statistical anomalies in the distribution of postal votes. My recommendation to the committee was straightforward: the AEC should be the only body sending out and receiving postal vote applications and ballot papers. The committee heard similar concerns from multiple submitters. Reform has been recommended. It has not yet been implemented.
Until it is, the responsibility falls to you as a voter to know how the system works - and to use it in a way that protects your data and your vote.
How to request a postal vote safely
The rule is simple. Go directly to the official electoral body. Do not use a form sent by a political party, candidate, or any third party.
For Nepean: the Victorian Electoral Commission is administering this by-election. Apply directly at vec.vic.gov.au.
For Farrer and all federal elections: apply directly at aec.gov.au. Applying online is the fastest and most secure method. Check the relevant website for the exact application deadline - it closes several days before polling day.
If you receive a postal vote application in the mail from a party or candidate, set it aside. You are under no obligation to use it.
When your ballot arrives
Read the instructions carefully. A postal vote not completed correctly may not be counted. Return your ballot promptly - postal votes must be received by the electoral commission by a set deadline after polling day. Keep any tracking information provided.
Postal voting is a legitimate and important part of Australian democracy. It exists so people who cannot attend a polling place can still participate. Protecting that purpose - and your data - is straightforward.
Go directly to the source. Your vote. Your data. Your choice.
Your Vote. Your Future.
You know what to do.
Onward we press
Sue Barrett is the founder of Democracy Watch AU and Before You Vote. Before You Vote publishes every Tuesday and Friday. If this was useful, send it to five people.