During a State Election there is a lot of information being shared, some of which may not be reliable or true. This can make it easy for incorrect or misleading information to spread, especially on social media.
For the WA Electoral Commission, upholding confidence in the integrity of the democratic process is an essential part of providing Western Australians with an electoral experience they can trust. False information about elections can undermine this confidence and have broader consequences for society. This is why we need everyone to Check the Facts before sharing information about electoral processes.
The WA Electoral Commission is the authority on electoral processes in WA, ensuring all voters have access to true information about the State Election. If you need to find out information about the State Election, the WA Electoral Commission is your source. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to stay up to date and if you have any questions, contact us through our feedback form.
What is misinformation and disinformation?
- Misinformation is false information that is shared due to misunderstanding or by mistake.
- Disinformation is knowingly false information spread to deliberately mislead or manipulate for malicious purposes.
Help stop the spread of misinformation and disinformation
To prevent the spread of misinformation and disinformation, always think about these three questions before sharing any election-related information:
Is it reliable?
Who has created this information? Is it from a reliable or reputable source?
What to do: Check whether the information is from a credible organisation or verified social media account. If not, see if you can find a similar story from a trusted source.
Is it current?
Something that was shared recently could have been published a long time ago which means the information may be out of date.
What to do: Check the publication date of the original post or article.
Is it safe?
Could this information be a scam? Sometimes bot accounts use social media to deliberately spread incorrect information.
What to do: Check the profile of the account posting the information to see if it is a legitimate account, or one that looks like it has been set up to push a particular message. Things such as the account's posting history, number of followers or location may help you figure out whether a real person or a bot is posting from the account. Also check to see if the content is sponsored or an advertisement and look at who is paying for it.
If you're unsure, check the WA Electoral Commission website or social media or contact us and we can provide the correct information.
Common misinformation
FALSE: Elections are rigged.
Answer: The WA Electoral Commission operates under the Electoral Act 1907 to run impartial, fair and secure elections.
There are extensive integrity and transparency measures in place to ensure all legal processes are followed and ballot papers are counted correctly and securely, including a documented chain of custody for ballot papers, sealed ballot boxes and scrutineers overseeing and verifying the process.
FALSE: Pencils are used in the polling places so votes can be erased.
Answer: The WA Electoral Commission provides pencils at polling places because they do not dry out in storage for long periods of time like pens do, and they are less expensive to purchase. However you can bring a pen to fill out your ballots if you prefer.
Pencil marks on ballot papers are never erased. Ballot boxes are secured with security seals so they can’t be opened and during polling are guarded by a polling official at all times. During the early voting period, the ballot box opening (the slit through which ballot papers are put in) is sealed at the end of each day and the ballot box is moved to a lockable secure overnight storage area. No-one can access this area overnight. On election night, after voting has closed, the ballot box seals are checked for correctness by a witness (polling staff and/or scrutineers). The ballot boxes are then opened by the Presiding Officer or an Assistant Returning Officer. This process is witnessed by polling staff. Scrutineers can witness both the opening and counting of all ballot papers.
FALSE: Postal voting is not secret or secure.
Answer: Voter details are separated from postal ballot envelopes before they are opened so you cannot be associated with your completed ballot paper. This keeps your vote secret. Returned postal votes will be delivered to the WA Electoral Commission processing centre where they are securely stored. WAEC staff will sort postal voting envelopes and mark voters off the electoral roll. From Wednesday 5 March, WAEC staff will remove the declaration slip (this keeps your vote secret) and take out the ballot papers from the ballot paper envelope (but not examine them). Ballot papers are then stored securely in a ballot box until counting starts on election night. Ballots will start being counted after 6pm on election day.
FALSE: People who aren’t vaccinated won’t be able to vote in person.
Answer: All enrolled Western Australian voters can access voting services during the elections. You do not need to be vaccinated to vote in person.
FALSE: Voters must meet eligibility criteria for early voting.
Answer: All voters can vote early at the State Election if they choose. Early polling places will be available from Monday, 24 February, to Friday, 7 March. Locations will be listed on the WA Electoral Commission website from Wednesday, 5 February.
FALSE: Candidates and parties choose where their preferences are distributed.
Answer: Candidates do not choose how their preferences are distributed. Voters do. You determine the order of their preferences when you fill out your ballots. How-to-vote cards are suggestions only. They do not dictate the final order of preferences.
FALSE: The WA Electoral Commission uses voting machines to count votes.
Answer: Votes are counted by hand. The Legislative Council ballot papers where people have voted below-the-line or with multiple marks above-the-line will be counted via Optical Character Recognition scanning. This technology promotes greater accuracy as it reduces the need for manual data entry into counting software.
FALSE: Members of Parliament are selected not elected.
Answer: Western Australian voters choose who they want to represent them as Members of Parliament by electing them in the State Election.
Please note: The Western Australian Electoral Commission is the independent authority on electoral processes in Western Australian. Under the Electoral Act 1907, the Commission has no role in enforcing truth in political advertising.
Resources
Social media tiles:
Posters:
Video:
Check the facts about the 2025 State election
More information
Australian Electoral Commission's Stop and Consider campaign
Australian Communications and Media Authority tips to spot misinformation and disinformation
Australian Code of Practice for misinformation and disinformation