Australian electoral rolls: print resources

Introduction

Electoral rolls on microfiche are available in the Newspapers and Microforms Reading Room on open access unless specified otherwise.

Information Contained in Electoral Rolls

Electoral rolls list people who are registered to vote at Commonwealth, State, Territory and Local Government elections and referenda. Electoral rolls contain the name, address, occupation (omitted after 1983) and gender of each elector. An Australian Electoral Commission number is also included.

Commonwealth, State and Territory Electoral Rolls

Before Federation and for some years afterwards, there were separate rolls for Commonwealth and State elections. The Australian Electoral Commission now produces these rolls for each state except Western Australia which maintains separate state rolls.

From 1912-1922, Northern Territory electors were not on any electoral rolls. Cocos Islands and Christmas Island residents are listed on the Northern Territory roll from 1984. Previously, residents of those islands did not vote in Federal elections. Prior to 1990, Lord Howe Island residents were listed on the roll for the division of Sydney. Enrolment is voluntary for residents of Norfolk Island.

Enrolment

Compulsory enrolment was introduced in 1911. Enrolment is compulsory for all Australian citizens who are aged 18 or over.

Suffrage

1902    The first Commonwealth Parliament passed the Commonwealth Franchise Act of 1902 which granted universal adult suffrage to most men and women over 21.

1911    Compulsory enrolment introduced.

1962    Voluntary enrolment and voting at federal elections extended to all Aboriginal Australians.

1973    The qualifying age for enrolment, voting and candidature for all federal elections was lowered from 21 to 18 years.

1984    Compulsory enrolment and voting for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Source: Australian Electoral Commission, Australia's Major Electoral Developments: Timeline 1900 - Present

Using the Electoral Rolls

To identify locations, use the Commonwealth of Australia, 1901–1988 Electoral Redistributions atlas which is available on open access in the Newspapers and Microforms Reading Room. Alternatively use the Alphabetical List of Polling Places [by state] to identify locations. The Alphabetical Lists are on open access in the Newspapers and Microforms Reading Room in microfiche drawer ELECTORAL ROLLS 1.

Prior to 1988, electoral rolls were produced in print format and arranged by surname within a division and a sub-division. There is a gap between 1985 and 1987 for all States and Territories when the rolls were not published in print format and the Library received no microfiche copies.

Since 1990, rolls have been arranged in single alphabetical surname lists for each state and territory and have been updated twice a year, usually in February and October.  More recently they have been updated annually.  No rolls on microfiche have been received since January 2008.

Australian Capital Territory (microfiche drawer ELECTORAL ROLLS 1)
1928-1931, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1941, 1943, 1945, 1947, 1949, 1951, 1953-1955, 1957-1959, 1961, 1963-1975, 1977-1980, 1982-1984, 1988-1989, 1990+
 
New South Wales (microfiche drawers ELECTORAL ROLLS 1 - 3)
1842-1864, 1842-1900, 1903, 1906, 1908-1909, 1913, 1915-1917, 1919, 1921-1922, 1925-1926, 1928, 1930-1941, 1943-1944, 1946-1951, 1953-1955, 1958-1961, 1963-1970, 1972-1984, 1986, 1988-1989, 1990+
 
Northern Territory (microfiche drawer ELECTORAL ROLLS 3)
1922, 1928-1931, 1934, 1937, 1940, 1943, 1946-1947, 1949, 1951, 1954, 1955, 1957-1958, 1960-1963, 1965-1966, 1968-1969, 1970-1972, 1974-1975, 1977, 1979-1980, 1983-1984, 1986, 1988-1989, 1990+
 
Papua and New Guinea
1951, 1964 + supplementary rolls, 1967, 1971. Nq 324.952 PAP (call slip required). Access through the Main Reading Room.
 
Queensland (microfilm drawer ELECTORAL ROLLS 3 & 4)
1860-1871; 1875-1900 (microfilm drawer QUEENSLAND);
1903-1922, 1925-1946, 1948-1970, 1972-1984, 1988-1989, 1990+
 
South Australia (microfilm drawer ELECTORAL ROLLS 4)
1905, 1909, 1911-17, 1919, 1921-22, 1924-28, 1930-31, 1933-1934, 1936-39, 1941-43, 1946, 1949-1950, 1952, 1954-55, 1958, 1970-1975, 1977, 1979-1980, 1982-1985, 1987-1989, 1990+.
1906, 1959, 1961-1969 & supplementary rolls - all divisions: 1944, 1947, 1948, 1951, 1953 are found at Nq 324.94 AUS (call slip required). Access through the Main Reading Room.
 
Tasmania (microfilm drawer ELECTORAL ROLLS 5)
1856, 1861-1862, 1866-1871, 1873-1876, 1878-1891, 1899-1900, 1903-1913, 1914-1917, 1919, 1921-1922, 1925, 1928-1934, 1936-1937, 1939, 1941, 1944, 1946, 1948-1951, 1953-1956, 1958-1961, 1963-1970, 1972-1977, 1979-1980, 1982-1984, 1988-1989, 1990+
 
Victoria (microfilm drawer ELECTORAL ROLL 6)
1841-1851, 1856/57, 1899 (referendum roll), 1903, 1905-1906, 1908-1910, 1912-1922, 1924-1929, 1931, 1933-1941, 1943-1948, 1950-1953, 1955-1961, 1963-1970, 1972-1982, 1985, 1988-1989, 1990+
 
Western Australia (microfilm drawer ELECTORAL ROLLS 7)
1901, 1905-1906, 1909-1910, 1912-1922, 1925-1926, 1928-1970, 1972-1984, 1988-1989, 1990+

See also:

Family History Sources