Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:C2007A00022:clause:2_73s
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:C2007A00022
Segment Type: clause
Provision Reference: sch 2 cl 73S
Character Range: 46805–49443

73S  Regulations may provide for remote electronic voting by defence personnel serving outside Australia

 (1) Subject to subsection (2), the regulations may provide for defence members and defence civilians who:
 (a) are registered remote electronic voters; and
 (b) are serving outside Australia at the time of the first referendum held after the commencement of this section;
to vote by a remote electronic voting method at that referendum.

 (2) The regulations must provide that a person who is a registered remote electronic voter may vote by a remote electronic voting method at the referendum referred to in subsection (1) only if the referendum is held on the same day as an election at which that person is able to vote by a remote electronic voting method under regulations that have effect for the purposes of Division 2 of Part XVB of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918.

 (3) Without limiting the generality of subsection (1), the regulations may:
 (a) determine, or provide for the determination of, the following:
 (i) the remote electronic voting method;
 (ii) a method for verifying the identity of persons using the remote electronic voting method;
 (iii) matters relating to the voting using the remote electronic voting method, including what has to be done after a person has used the method, and matters of privacy and secrecy;
 (iv) the number of places where the remote electronic voting method is to be available, where those places are, and the days and hours when the method is to be available; and
 (b) allow the remote electronic voting method to be used in a particular period before voting day, as well as on voting day; and
 (c) provide for any other matters related to the integrity of the use of the remote electronic voting method.

 (4) The remote electronic voting method must be such that a person using the method at the referendum referred to in subsection (1):
 (a) receives the same information (in the same order), and has the same voting options, as would appear in the ballot‑paper for the referendum that the person would be given if he or she were instead voting under Part III; and
 (b) is able to indicate his or her vote in a way that, if he or she were instead marking a ballot‑paper, would satisfy the requirements of section 24.

 (5) The regulations may provide for offences in relation to the remote electronic voting method, and may prescribe penalties for those offences. A prescribed penalty must not exceed 50 penalty units.

 (6) Nothing in this Division or in regulations made for the purposes of this Division authorises any person to vote more than once at a referendum.