Electoral rolls are extremely useful to family historians as they can aid in finding an ancestor’s residence in a certain year or over a number of years, and changes of location throughout time. Electoral rolls can also assist in identifying additional adult family members who live at the same place. Because of the scarcity of census records in Australia, electoral registers serve as a viable alternative and are often referred to as “Census Substitutes”.
Electoral rolls do not cover the whole population; only those who are eligible and registered to vote prior to a government election are included. Historically, voting rights were tied to property ownership; therefore, all men were not eligible to vote in the early years. Australian voting practices and processes vary for state and territory, and they were adopted at different times:
1829 British sovereignty extended to cover the whole of Australia – everyone born in Australia, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, became a British subject by birth.
1856 South Australia – All adult male British subjects (including Indigenous males) were entitled to vote
1857 Victoria – All adult male British subjects (including Indigenous males) were entitled to vote
1858 New South Wales – All adult male British subjects (including Indigenous males) were entitled to vote
1859 Queensland – Adult males gained the right to vote.*
1890 Western Australia – Adult males gained the right to vote.*
1895 South Australia – All adult females, including Indigenous females, won the right to vote.
1896 Tasmania – All adult male British subjects (including Indigenous males) were entitled to vote.
1899 Western Australia – Adult females gained the right to vote.*
1902 Australia (Commonwealth of) – Adult females gained the right to vote.*
1902 New South Wales – All adult females, including Indigenous females, won the right to vote.
1903 Tasmania – All adult females, including Indigenous females, won the right to vote.
1905 Queensland – Adult females gained the right to vote.*
1908 Victoria – All adult females, including Indigenous females, won the right to vote.
* Queensland gained self-government in 1859 and Western Australia in 1890, but these colonies denied Indigenous people the vote. After Federation, voting rights were given to everyone who was eligible to vote in a state election, but denied Indigenous people the vote. However, provisions allowed Indigenous persons to vote if they were allowed to vote at state elections prior to Federation under section 41 of the Constitution. This was amended in 1902 to those Indigenous persons already enrolled in a State in 1902.
Until 1970, “adult” was defined as over 21 years of age, but by 1974 the Commonwealth and other states had amended this to include people aged at least 18 years.
There may be times when some people are excluded from the electoral rolls. Disqualifications common to State and Commonwealth were:
- Unsoundness of mind
- Attainder for treason (now obsolete), and
- Being under sentence after conviction for an offence punishable by imprisonment for a year or more
Information on electoral rolls includes:
- Full name
- Address
- Gender
- And, between 1903 and 1984, the voter’s occupation
Electoral rolls were published by each state during election years.
- New South Wales began in 1842 and are nearly annual.
- Victoria began in 1843, but most are incomplete.
- South Australia survive for 1851, 1852, and from 1903 (the pre-1903 rolls were destroyed by fire).
- Tasmania date from 1856.
- Queensland from 1859.
- Western Australia date from 1879, although most pre-1900 rolls did not survive.
The Commonwealth Electoral Commission now produces these rolls for each state. A separate state roll is still maintained by Western Australia.
Pictured: Australian Shepherd’s Hut – John Skinner Prout (1805-1876)