Politics of the Scroll: How Victoria’s First-Time Voters Are Finding Their Way

The Victorian Electoral Commission’s Melbourne Royal Show display provides information about voting, enrolment and the electoral process. (Photo: Bill Teuma)

For the first time in a Victorian state election, voters will have direct control over how their preferences flow through to Legislative Council candidates. 

Group voting tickets, a two-decade old scheme that allowed parties to control voter preferences, were abolished in August.

Voters will now need to number at least five parties above the line. 

Voters previously could only order preferences themselves by voting for individual candidates below the line.

Less than one in 10 votes on average were cast below the line between the eight upper house regions at the last state election. 

Victoria was the last state to scrap group voting tickets, which federal Senate elections ended a decade ago.

For first-time voters, it adds another question to an already unfamiliar process: How exactly does my vote work?

Swinburne political scientist, Dr Robert Hoffman, said understanding the mechanics of voting is fundamental. 

“For your vote to be counted, you need to understand the mechanisms,” he said. 

Under the new system, voters have greater control over their preferences in the upper house. 

Dr Zareh Ghazarian, Monash University political scientist, said the end of group voting tickets would “squeeze” minor parties in the Legislative Council. 

Preference deals allowed candidates to win with a small number of the primary vote.

One Nation’s Rikkie Lee-Tyrrell secured a spot in the upper house for Northern Victoria with less than 4 per cent of the primary vote in 2022, winning the party’s first Victorian seat. 

Animal Justice Party’s Georgie Purcell was elected to the upper house as member for Northern Victoria with 1.5 per cent of the primary vote. 

Shooters, Fishers and Farmers was elected in Eastern Victoria with about 3 per cent of the primary vote. 

“Preference whispering is about engineering preference deals with other parties and candidates to ensure you’re in the best position to win a seat,” Ghazarian said.

“That candidates with small primary votes could win seats in the chamber contributed to debates about whether this system was still useful,” he said. 

The challenge is making sure voters understand that change before they arrive at the polling booth.

Professor Judith Bessant, RMIT University youth and political participation researcher, said uncertainty should not be confused with political apathy. 

“There’s a long-standing narrative that young people don’t care about politics,” Bessant said. 

She said young people are politically active outside traditional institutions through protests, climate activism, music and the content they create and share online.

Hoffman said young voters are increasingly less tied to traditional party loyalties and are more motivated by issues like housing, climate change, tertiary education, jobs and artificial intelligence. 

But not all of those issues sit neatly in the responsibilities of a state government. 

“Trying to translate those big issues into more local concrete politics can be a bit complicated,” Hoffman said.

The Victorian Electoral Commission is also trying to close the information gap. 

Sven Bluemmel, Victorian Electoral Commissioner, said the commission targets young people through outreach programs including its Democracy Ambassador program, Young People's Advisory Group and social media campaigns. 

“We will make all of that really, really clear on the ballot material and elsewhere,” Bluemmel says. 

His message to first-time voters is simple: “Every single vote counts.”

Enrolment closed November 3. 

The VEC is encouraging eligible young Victorians to seek information directly from the commission if they are unsure about the voting process. 

For a generation encountering politics through a constant stream of information, their first Victorian state election will involve more than deciding who to vote for. 

It means working out what the election is actually about, understanding how the ballot works and deciding which information should be trusted.

“Make sure that you are fully aware of all the parties, the policies and the ideas they’re representing,” Ghazarian said.

“It’s a valuable opportunity for people to pass judgement as well as determine who represents them,” he said.

For first-time voters wanting to prepare before election day, the VEC’s 2026 state election guide includes information on checking enrolment, finding your electorate, voting options and how to correctly complete both ballot papers.