Have we always had preferential voting in Australia?
Sample House of Representatives ballot paper
Australian Electoral Commission
Sample House of Representatives ballot paper
Australian Electoral Commission
Description
A sample House of Representatives ballot paper. It includes the words 'House of Representatives Ballot Paper, State, Electoral Division of Division Name. Number the boxes from 1 to 8 in the order of your choice'. Below are 8 boxes with 'SURNAME, Given Names, PARTY' next to each. Some boxes also have a LOGO box next to them.
Permission should be sought from the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) for third-party or commercial uses of this image. To contact the AEC email: media@aec.gov.au or phone: 13 23 26.
Great question! No, preferential voting was introduced in 1918. There have been a couple of changes to the electoral systems used for federal elections since Federation.
At the first election for the Australian Parliament in 1901, members of parliament were elected according to the electoral system of each state. From 1903 'first-past-the-post' was the electoral system used for both the House of Representatives and Senate, until preferential voting was introduced in 1918.
Today, preferential voting is used to elect members of the House of Representatives. A proportional representation system, which also uses voters’ preferences, is used to elect senators.