The Australian Government has called a Federal Election for Saturday 21 August 2010. If you are enrolled on the Commonwealth Electoral Roll, and you will be out of Australia on polling day, you may either vote in person or apply for a postal vote
Voting in Person
You can cast a pre-poll vote weekdays from Monday 9 August 2010 through until Friday 20 August 2010. Please note Monday 16 August is an Embassy holiday and the Embassy, Consulates-General and Consulate will be closed. To cast a pre-poll vote, you must attend in person at the nearest Australian post to you in Japan - located in Tokyo, Fukuoka, Osaka, or Sapporo. By voting early, you may avoid queues and delays. For security purposes, please bring photograph identification with you when you attend to vote.
Pre-poll voting in person at the Consulate-General in Fukuoka and Consulate in Sapporo requires appointments to be made in advance. Appointments are not required to cast a pre-poll vote at the Australian Embassy in Tokyo or the Consulate-General in Osaka.
On Election Day, Saturday 21 August 2010, you are able to vote in person at the Australian Embassy in Tokyo and Consulate-General in Osaka. The Consulate-General in Fukuoka and the Consulate in Sapporo will not be open for voting on Election Day.
Australians voting at the Australian Embassy or a Consulate in Japan must cast their votes by close of voting time nominated for that office - see contact details and hours for the offices listed below.
Postal Vote
Australian citizens unable to visit an Australian mission in person may cast a vote by post. You must apply for a postal vote in order to have ballot papers sent to you.
To apply for a Postal Vote either:
* Download the Postal Vote application on the Australian Electoral Commission's website at
http://www.aec.gov.au/Elections/files/pva-2010.pdf and send the completed form to the Australian Embassy or a Consulate by post or fax (contact details below);
or
* Contact the Australian Embassy or nearest Australian Consulate-General or Consulate to you in Japan to request an application form to be sent to you via post.
After returning the completed postal vote application form to the Australian Embassy or nearest Australian Consulate-General or Consulate, you will be mailed ballot papers to enable you to cast your vote. In order to receive ballot papers your Postal Vote Application must reach the Australian Embassy or your nearest Australian Consulate-General or Consulate by Thursday 19 August 2010.
The ballot papers must be returned in the envelope supplied with certification, and must be post-marked by close of voting hours for the post to which it is sent (see below) or the AEC. The ballot papers can either be returned to the Australian Embassy or nearest Australian Consulate-General or Consulate in Japan or forwarded directly to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) in Australia.
