The AEC takes privacy law obligations seriously and advises that political parties are exempt from privacy legislation.

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has once again cautioned voters about unsolicited postal vote application forms distributed by political parties via mail and SMS.

The electoral body has stressed that these forms are not issued by the AEC, which is the sole distributor of postal vote ballot papers.

According to the AEC, these unsolicited applications are sent by political parties or candidates and are reportedly used to gather data about voters before being forwarded to the AEC. 

While this practice is permissible under the Commonwealth Electoral Act and represents a legitimate way to apply for a postal vote, the AEC has raised concerns regarding the timeliness of these applications reaching them and the privacy of the applicant's personal information.

The AEC's primary concern revolves around the potential for voters to be misled into thinking these application forms are official documents from the AEC. 

In past elections, some party-issued applications have featured misleading colours and even directed voters to non-AEC websites.

"If you receive an application form for a postal vote in the mail, or an SMS encouraging you to apply for a postal vote, it hasn’t come from the AEC,” Australian Electoral Commissioner Jeff Pope emphasised.

This warning echoes the advice given by the AEC during the 2022 federal election.

The AEC strongly advises voters to apply for postal votes directly through the official AEC website. 

They assert applying directly is not only faster but also provides greater protection for personal details. 

The AEC highlights that it is bound by Australian privacy laws, whereas political parties are exempt from this legislation.

The issue of unsolicited postal vote applications is a recurring problem, with the AEC noting that concerns about party postal vote applications through unsolicited outreach is the number one complaint they hear from voters at almost every federal election. The AEC has previously shared these concerns with parliamentary committees and intends to continue doing so.

In light of recent data breaches, the AEC underscored the importance of data privacy, noting they have seen a number of major data breaches over the last few years and Australians have a right to know who’s collecting their personal information. 

Voters are encouraged to be vigilant and ensure they are using official AEC channels for all electoral matters.