Voting in State general elections, by-elections, and referenda is compulsory. If you don’t have a valid and sufficient reason for not voting you may be fined.
After an election we check the rolls. If it appears you have not voted you may be sent an email or notice in the mail asking for an explanation.
The penalty for first time offenders is $50, and this increases to $75 if you have previously paid a penalty or been convicted of this offence. If you do not have a valid and sufficient reason for not voting, you can pay the penalty and that will end the matter.
Payments must be made by the due date on the relevant notice. If you miss a due date for payment you will need to wait for the next notice for new payment information.
The forms you may receive during the process are explained below.
Penalty notice (Form 33 – the white form)
If you receive this notice, you can:
- provide a valid and sufficient reason for not voting
- let us know that you did vote and provide the details
- pay the fine
Infringement notice (Form 34 – the green form)
You will be sent an infringement notice if:
- you didn’t respond to the penalty notice
- you responded, but the explanation you gave was not accepted
- you responded, but we didn't receive your response in time
If you do not have a valid and sufficient reason for not voting, you should pay the fine on this notice to avoid increased fees on the next notice.
Final demand (blue form)
This notice is sent to you if you failed to respond to the previous two notices with a payment or a valid and sufficient reason. A prosecuting authority fee is required to be added to your penalty with this notice under Fines Enforcement legislation. This will increase the amount payable from previous notices.
Fines Enforcement Registry (FER) Referral
If the matter has not been resolved after the first three notices have been issued, it will be referred to FER and your driver’s licence could be suspended.
FER may issue a Notice of Intention to Enforce, which includes significant fees in addition to the original penalty. The Western Australian Electoral Commission is no longer able to accept payments after this time. From this point all payments must be made through the Fines Enforcement Registry.
However, if you have not responded to any of the four previous notices but believe you have a valid and sufficient reason for not voting, you may still email your reason to nonvoter@waec.wa.gov.au.