South Australia

Electoral Authority: State Electoral Office

Formal

• Consecutive numerical preferences are indicated against the names of all candidates commencing with the number "1".
• A "" or a "" constitutes a "1" on the ballot paper.
• If one square is left blank it is presumed that candidate is least preferred by the voter.
• If the last number is not consecutive (eg, 1, 2, 3, 4, 19) it is presumed that the candidate against which that last number is marked is least preferred by the elector.
• Numbers placed outside the square are acceptable if the voter's intention is clear.

• The number "1", a or a or any combination of these appears in or against two or more squares.
• If a ballot paper is marked in a manner that identifies the elector.
• No vote marked on the ballot paper.
• No first preference indicated.
• A duplication of numbers or a break of consecutive numbering occurs or two or more preferences are omitted.
• A ballot paper is not authenticated by the initials of the issuing officer or by an official mark.
• A ballot paper not deposited in a ballot box. NB
• South Australian electoral legislation allows candidates to lodge one or two voting tickets. A voting ticket is a written statement of a particular order in which a voter might allocate preferences in an election and is used to interpret the votes of a voter who does not indicate an order of preference covering all candidates. A voting ticket can therefore render a vote formal that would otherwise be informal.