Some years ago, I started a similar thread here for a federal election; it seemed to go well, so I thought I'd try it again :)
(Disclaimer: I was an active member of the Greens from 2006-2013; I was also a candidate for that party at the last state election.)
Saturday 29 November is the date for the next state elections in Victoria. These happen on the last Saturday of November, every four years. The elections are run by the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC), which is funded by the government but strictly independent of politics.
The first thing to keep in mind is that since the 2010 election, there has been a re-distribution of the state's seats, so in many cases, your seat will have a different name, and different boundaries as well.
If you haven't done so already, check in which district and region you'll cast your vote here:
~Link~Lower house (Legislative Assembly) seats as called
districts and elect 1 member each (88 in total).
Upper house (Legislative Council) seats are called
regions and elect 5 members each (40 in total).
Once you know where you are, you can check your candidates here:
~Link~If you're wondering where to vote, especially if you're planning to vote early at pre-poll (commences Monday 17 November), there's a list of polling booths here:
~Link~In the booth, you will be given two ballot papers: a small one, and one which is much larger, so you won't be able to confuse the two, don't worry.
The small ballot is for your Legislative Assembly (lower house) district. You will be electing one candidate using the preferential system. This means you have to number all the candidates in order of your preference (1 for the candidate you'd like to win, 2 for the next best, and so on). I repeat,
all the candidates. If I remember correctly, there is a technical ruling which allows you not to number the final candidate (i.e. the one you like the least) if all the others are sequential, but best not to play with fire there. Keep in mind that you cannot 'waste' your vote on this ballot, no matter what people tell you. If your first choice candidate falls out of the race due to having too few votes, your vote is passed on to your second choice candidate at full value, and so on. Additionally, you do
not have to follow the preferences as indicated on the How-to-Vote cards you will be given by all the various political parties as you run the gauntlet on your way into the booth (you don't have to take any of their cards, either).
The large ballot is for your Legislative Council (upper house) region. You will be voting for five candidates here, and you can do so in two ways:
1) Put a '1' in the box above the line next to the name of the party/group you'd like to support. Your vote will follow the preferences as determined by the party/group, so it's always a good idea to look at them beforehand to make sure you're happy with what they've decided on your behalf. These preferences are known as group voting tickets, and will be available for inspection on the VEC website now.
2) Number at least 5 boxes below the line. You can pick and mix between parties to your heart's delight. This is the way to have ultimate control over your vote. Keep in mind that it is possible that your vote will end up being 'exhausted' (i.e. removed from the count) if all of the candidates you have selected have fallen out of the race. In order to avoid this, I'd recommend numbering a few lead candidates (the ones at the top of their party/group's list).
You always have the option of casting an informal vote by leaving the ballot paper(s) blank, but not turning up to a polling booth at all will result in a fine of $74.
That's the basics, but feel free to ask if you have any other questions.
