Can you “waste” your vote in Australia?

If you take advantage of preferential voting, the full weight of your vote matters, even if your first preference isn't elected.

It’s a real have your cake and eat it situation. You can give to whoever you want the full power of your first preference vote. 

But if your favourite candidate doesn’t make it to the final two, your preferences come into play, and can help influence who is ultimately elected. So you lose, but then win.

That’s generally what people are talking about when they say “voting below the line”. 

For more on our preferential voting system, the National Account’s Archie Milligan explains the ins and outs in the video below. Or read on!

Introducing…Australia’s Preferential Voting

The preferential voting model allows voters to send candidates and parties a message about what’s important to them. 

Compared with other countries that have one person, one vote systems - like the UK and Canada - Australia's preferential system is far more representative of what the people are wanting. For better or worse.

As an example of how this can work, let’s look at the Melbourne seat of Kooyong. 

In 2022 Independent Monique Ryan defeated Liberal heavyweight Josh Frydenberg. Frydenberg attracted 42.66 percent of first preference votes. Ryan attracted 40.29 percent. That adds up to about 83 percent. 

That left about 17 percent of preference votes (the “below the line” tally) to be distributed to either Frydenberg or Ryan. 

And this is where Ryan smashed it, attracting about 12 percent of the 17 percent available. Frydenberg got the dregs - about five percent.

So, ultimately, although Ryan had fewer first preference votes, she got over the line, because enough people had her as their second choice or thereabouts.  

And that is the power of the preferential system, where your vote isn’t wasted even if you back the wrong horse.