Question: who gets to vote at elections in australia
Answer: Australian citizens over 18 years of age are required to enroll if they have lived at their current address for at least one month . Special rules apply to citizens going or living outside the country , to military personnel and to prisoners , all of which do not reside at their normal residential address for electoral purposes . Homeless people or those otherwise with no fixed address have a particular problem with registration , not having a current address to give . Enrolment has been compulsory for federal elections since 1912 . Enrolment is optional for 16 or 17 year olds but they can not vote until they turn 18 . Enrolment is voluntary for residents of Norfolk Island . Residents in Australia who had been enrolled as British subjects in 1984 ( ie. , are non-citizens ) can continue to be enrolled . ( These comprise about 9 % of the electoral roll . )