If the House of Reps ballot papers are green, why are the Senate ones white and not red?
Thanks for your question Sarah.
The Senate ballot papers are white because it is harder to read text printed on red paper. The House of Representatives ballot paper is printed in a light green to distinguish it from the Senate ballot paper. This makes it simpler for voters to know which house they are voting for and which instructions to follow when filling out the ballot paper.
The different colours also mean that once voters complete the 2 ballot papers, it is easier to identify which ballot paper is to be placed in the ballot box marked House of Representatives and which one goes in the Senate ballot box. When officials from the Australian Electoral Commission empty the ballot boxes and begin to count the votes, they can easily see if any ballot papers have been mixed up.
Sample Australian Parliament Senate ballot paper – voting above the line.
Australian Electoral Commission
Sample Australian Parliament Senate ballot paper – voting above the line.
Australian Electoral Commission
Description
This image is of a sample Senate ballot paper. It has a horizontal line through the image with a few boxes with writing above the line and many boxes with writing below the line. Some of the boxes above the line have been numbered 1 to 6.
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.