From secret ballot to democracy sausage

Today Australians voted at a Federal election. Consequently it seems a good time to write briefly about a new book with the title From secret ballot to democracy sausage: how Australia got compulsory voting by Judith Brett.

In Australia voting is compulsory for those over eighteen. Our elections are held on a Saturday making it relatively easy for people to find time to vote.Within each state residents can vote at any polling station, usually at a local school or hall.  On election day designated polling stations cater for voters from interstate. For those unable to vote on the day polling a number of stations are open for several weeks before the election. Postal votes are also available if required.

Australia was one of the first countries to implement secret ballot. Australians also use a preferential sytem of voting. The Franchise Act 1902 allowed women to vote in Federal elections though not all women could vote in State elections at that time. However it was many years before franchise was available to Aboriginal Australians.

One of the features of elections in Australia is the opportunity taken by schools or local community groups where elections are held to raise a little money by holding cake stalls or running a sausage sizzle where 'democracy sausages' can be purchased. To some extent elections can become a community event often providing the opportunity to catch up with people you may not have seen for some time.

By providing a brief history of the development of federal politics in Australia, particularly showing how our voting system varies from many other countries, this book is a useful overview of the development of voting systems that we take for granted today.