Working on election day

Most paid temporary election jobs are on voting day in polling places and counting centres. While shifts in polling places start in the morning, work is available on election day evening in our counting centres or returning materials to these centres.

Polling places

You start around 7 am and finish late at night. Voting occurs between 8 am and 6 pm, then the site is packed up and the vote counting begins. There are limited roles that begin in the evening.

Jobs available:

• Polling Place Liaison Officer – manages up to 5 polling places and provides assistance and materials to the Officer in Charge, as required, on election day. This role provides assurance to the Divisional Returning Officer that policy and procedures are being followed
• Polling Place Officer in Charge – manages a polling place including the preparation, operation and finalisation of arrangements before, during and after polling on election day
• Polling Place Second in Charge – manages a polling place supporting the Officer in Charge and acting in the role when required
• Declaration Vote Issuing and Inquiry Officer – mainly issues declaration votes in a polling place and may assist with voter enquiries
• Polling Assistant – mainly issues ballot papers at a polling place, also manages queues, monitors ballot boxes and helps with voter enquiries
• Polling Assistant (Bilingual) – in addition to Polling Assistant duties, helps voters from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who may need support or language translation
• Polling Assistant (First Nations) – in addition to Polling Assistant duties, helps voters from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds who may need support or language translation
• Scrutiny Assistant – supports the timely completion of end of day tasks including sorting and counting votes in a polling place
• Scrutiny Assistant (Return of Materials) – supports the timely completion of end of day tasks in a polling place. You will also return electoral materials to the counting centre or other locations once polling activities are finalised.

You’ll need to:

• have an eye for detail and follow processes
• communicate effectively with people from different backgrounds
• be flexible, adaptable and work as part of a team
• be able to sit or stand for long periods, if needed
• be able to potentially lift up to 12 kilograms, if needed
• have good organisational and management skills (for a senior role)

A valid driver’s licence may be required for some of these positions – please read the job descriptions for further information.

What to expect:

7 am: The day starts with a face-to-face briefing. After the briefing, you help finish setting up everything needed for the public to vote.

8 am: The polling place opens, and the first members of the public are issued votes. From 8 am to 6 pm you take votes.

Lunch: Everyone working 5 hours or more gets at least one 30-minute break. 10 minute rest breaks are also provided during the day. 

At 6 pm: The queue to vote closes. Those already in the queue can still vote.

6 pm – until close:  The main job between these hours is to count votes. Training is provided on how to count before the count begins.

The day will end when all votes are counted and pack up is complete. It is anticipated most work will be completed before 11 pm, however, some shifts may end later.

Counting centres

On election day staff in counting centres, also known as out-posted centres, sort and count votes or receive materials returned from polling places at the end of the night. Shifts typically begin around 3 pm and end late in the night.

Jobs available:

• Temporary Assistant Level 1 – provides support in the preparation, conduct and finalisation of an electoral event. You assist with packing and distributing of materials before the election, counting of votes on election day evening and after and other administrative tasks as required
• Temporary Assistant Level 2 – provides supervisory support in preparation, conduct and finalisation of an electoral event. You supervise packing and distribution of materials before the election, counting of votes on election day evening and after and other administrative tasks as required.

You’ll need to:

• have an eye for detail
• follow processes well
• work cooperatively in small teams
• be able to sit or stand for long periods, if needed
• be able to potentially lift up to 12 kilograms, if needed
• have organisational and people management skills.

What to expect:

You start in the afternoon on election day and will either count votes or receive materials being returned from polling places.

Your shift begins with a briefing explaining the work that needs to be completed for the night.

At 4 pm count teams begin sorting votes, at 6 pm the count starts.

From 7 pm materials start arriving from polling places with material teams ready to receive them.

Your shift will end once all work is complete, this can be late into the night.

Register now if you are interested in working at the next federal election.