Photocredit: Australian Electoral Commission
Over 500,000 people are “missing” from the electoral roll and currently unable to vote at the election on 18 May this year, according to the Australian Electoral Commission.
While it may sound like a dramatic error on the AEC computer servers, the quarterly elector count shows there are many who are yet to enrol - including young people who have just turned 18.
The AEC said they encourage Australians to “comply with their legislated obligation to enrol to vote and to keep their details current on the electoral roll.”
The AEC advises Australians to enrol or update their details on their website (https://www.aec.gov.au/enrol/) before rolls close at 8pm on 18 April.
The election comes after Prime Minister Scott Morrison met with the Governor General this morning after weeks of speculation over the date.
Morrison said Australia cannot afford a change of government and centred his first official election pitch around economic management.
“At this election, there is a clear choice. It is a choice that will determine the economy that Australians live in, not just for the next three years but for the next decade,” he said.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said his party is "hungry to do the best we can for the country”, putting jobs, health and education at the centre of their campaign.
"I think Australians deserve better than the last six years of politics,” he said.