Pre-polling stations in the Tamworth region open from Tuesday October 3, two weeks before the October 14 Referendum date when Australia will decide whether to change the Constitution to include a Voice to Parliament.
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Those who are unable to vote in-person on Saturday October 14, can access two pre-polling stations at the former Inspiration Patch at 515 Peel Street and at the Uniting Church at 426 Goonoo Goonoo Road.
Or they can register for a postal vote via the Australian Electoral Commission's (AEC) website up until Wednesday, October 11 at 6pm.
AEC NSW state manager Rebecca Main said voters needed to plan how and where they will vote.
"[Early voting is] mainly for people who might be travelling or working on polling days or will be away from their local area on voting day," Ms Main said.
Ms Main urged people to read the instructions on the ballot paper carefully, because those squiggly marks, crosses, ticks or smiley faces drawn in the empty box will be counted as "informal" - meaning not counted at all.
"The key instruction is to write "yes" or "no" in the box. And that's all they have to do," Ms Main said. "Then their vote will be counted."
![Early voting stations in Tamworth will be open from October 3, 2023, for those who are unable to attend on the October 14 Referendum day to vote for the Voice to Parliament. Picture by Gareth Gardner Early voting stations in Tamworth will be open from October 3, 2023, for those who are unable to attend on the October 14 Referendum day to vote for the Voice to Parliament. Picture by Gareth Gardner](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/184392265/914e537a-db0a-4e3d-8497-1ecee6e77cdc.jpg/r0_0_1103_620_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
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Ms Main said everyone was expected to be civil and respectful to each other, including the polling staff, on what can be quite a contentious issue during Referendum time.
"People should remember that you might know those polling staff," Ms Main said.
"They might be your neighbour, your uncle, your aunt, children, so it's important everyone treats each other with respect and acts in a civil manner."
All Australian citizens above the age of 18 are required to vote in the Referendum.
There will be more polling stations open across the region from 8am to 6pm on October 14, including at a number of schools, halls and community centres.
Ms Main said the AEC expected a much quicker result for the Referendum in comparison to a federal election, with the tally being recorded on the AEC website from about 6pm.
"Whether we'll know the result on the night, we just don't know at this stage," Ms Main said.
"If the 'yes' vote is really close, then we will need to wait for all the postal votes to come back by October 27.
"People will have 13 days after polling day to get their postal votes back to us. So if it's a close result, then we'll need to wait for them to come back."
"A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?"
- Referendum day ballot paper question
If a majority of voters in a majority of states vote "yes" then an additional chapter will be inserted into the federal Constitution, establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
What the Voice will look like, such as how many members it will have, how they will be elected, its internal processes and how it will interact with the executive and the government, will be decided at a later date and legislated through parliament.
Early polling stations open in NSW, ACT, QLD and SA on Tuesday October 2, due to the Labour Day public holiday. Everywhere else opens from Monday October 1.
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