Huge news if you get off on people engaging in the democratic process: Australia has hit its highest-ever level of voter enrolment, according to the Australian Electoral Commission.
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In a release today, the AEC said that with 100,000 people enrolling to vote in the week before enrolment closed for the election, the country had reached a 96.8% national enrolment rate, comprising a record 16,424,248 people.
According to the AEC, the youth enrolment rate, which hit 88.6% in the lead up to the postal survey, has risen to 88.8%. Youth enrolment (referring to voters aged between 18 and 24) went up by 70,000 in the week leading up the closing of the rolls. By comparison, the youth participation rate was 86.7% during the 2016 election.
The 2016 election saw a 95% participation rate, which was an increase on the 92% seen in the 2013 election.
Electoral commissioner Tom Rogers says that this enrolment rate would likely lead to election participation unlikely to be matched anywhere in the world: “A national enrolment rate of 96.8% was for a long time thought to be unattainable. Such a complete roll is a credit to Australian citizens and to the hard work and careful processes put in place by AEC staff. It is something all Australians can be proud of.”
Youth enrolment saw a surge in the lead up to the postal survey, as young people were urged to have their voice heard on the issue.
