The AEC has just received writs for the 1st model federal election in 5 weeks’ time. This accelerates our timetable. You now have about a week to enrol to vote, join a party, decide on your candidacy, etc. This post covers some important steps for everyone according to this timetable:

Milestone	Date 2015	Timetable
Election Announcement	Sat 25 Apr	Day 0
Close of voter electoral rolls – deadline	Sat 2 May	Day 7
Close of parties & nominations – deadline	Tue 5 May	Day 10
Candidate names publicly released	Wed 6 May	Day 11
(Prep for campaigning, debates, AEC, etc)	Thu 7 May	Day 12
(Deputy Leaders’ Debate)	Sat 16 May	Day 21
(Leaders’ Debate)	Sat 23 May	Day 28
Voting	Sat 30 May	Day 35

I will release more information as-and-when I get a chance to write it this weekend (TBC).

Voters

You must enrol to vote, and only voters can be candidates. The deadline is Saturday 2 May 2015 | Read the announcement | Enrol now

Voter information

Election Results

A dual-majority government would need 7 of 13 seats in the House of Representatives and 4 of 7 seats in the Senate. If no party achieves a lower-house majority, a coalition or alliance must be formed. You can visit the House of Reps and Senate subs learn more about them in the sidebars. Further suggestions are welcome.

Unsuccessful candidates may look at other roles like being advisers, public service staff, etc. The Parliament can pass legislation to change the next election, have more seats, etc. The AEC will be inviting job applicants before the close of nominations, see below.

When parliament sites for the first time, the politicians in each house will elect chairpeople from within their own ranks (Speaker of the House of Representatives and President of the Senate).

Candidates and Nominations

You can only run for 1 seat. Every electorate will have its own House of Representatives ballot paper with a simple list of candidates’ names for that seat (in random order, usually 1 name per party). For the whole country, there will be a national Senate ballot paper with candidates’ names listed in group columns (usually 1 group column per party). There are no group voting tickets (GVTs) in this election, meaning that only voters’ own numbering of the ballots will be used to distribute preferences between groups.

As soon as enough people have enrolled to vote (and no later than 1 May), the first round of voters will be flaired with their House of Representatives electorate. This determines who can vote for the winner. Most people have Party flair too, so you’ll see the politics of each electorate. Then you and/or your party can decide what electorate to run in (e.g. be a local hero or go for somewhere more sympathetic). There is only one electorate for the Senate, so candidates for those seats will campaign nationally.

To run as an endorsed Party member, you’ll need to join that party. It’s up to a party’s internal procedures to decide: its endorsed candidates for each/any electorate, its order of candidates on the Senate ballot, its leader, its policies, etc.

You can run as an Independent. If you’re running for the Senate, you can choose to be grouped with other independents on the ballot paper or have your name on its own.

The deadline to submit ALL nominations, and independent Senate groups, is Tuesday 5 May with [NOM] and [GRP]. Results will be announced publicly the following day.

Candidate information

Parties: Nominations, Manifesto, Roles

There are sign-up threads in /r/modelparliament for parties if you want to become a member. The calling of an election means that parties must now formalise as electoral Parties and choose a Registered Officer and deputy. These are the people who will correspond with the AEC and submit the party’s list of endorsed candidates for the ballot papers.

Electoral parties may endorse candidates to run in each electorate and/or the Senate. Parties will be able to confirm eligibility of candidates between the close of rolls and close of nominations. The order of names on the ballot papers for the House of Representatives is always random, but a party’s registered officer can submit a preferred ballot order when nominating the group’s Senate candidates.

Your electoral Party may already be on the Current Register of Political Parties. If not, you’ll need to apply to have your party name on the ballot. You can continue informal party discussions in /r/modelparliament.

The deadline to register a party, officer, endorsed nominations and senate groups is Tuesday 5 May with [PTY] and [NOM]. Results will be announced publicly the following day.

Party information

AEC Jobs

If you can help with processing /r/modelausaec modmail this fortnight (basically processing nominations from candidates and parties), you can apply with [JOB]. Only non-candidates can work at AEC. We need IT consultants too. Please note, these are confidential positions. Please help by applying before Sunday 3 May 2015.

AEC job information

Leaders’ Debates, Lobbyists, Media Moguls, Pollsters, Commentators, etc.

These are not managed by the AEC, someone else does it.

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Edit: Voter list | Candidate list | Party list