The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has issued a warning to voters regarding unsolicited postal vote application forms sent by political parties.
These forms, often delivered via SMS, email, or mail, may mislead voters into thinking they are official AEC documents.
While political parties are allowed to distribute these forms, they are not bound by privacy laws like the AEC.
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This raises concerns about the security of voters’ personal information.
AEC Commissioner Jeff Pope stated that political parties are not bound by the Privacy Act, which means voters’ personal data could be compromised.
“We’ve 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,” he said.
Political parties have previously faced criticism for using misleading websites that appear to be official AEC portals.
Websites such as postal.vote (run by the Liberal-National coalition) and howtovote.org.au/postal (operated by the Labor Party) ask voters for personal details before redirecting them to the AEC’s official postal vote application page.
The AEC has received consistent complaints from voters regarding these unsolicited messages, with many questioning how political parties acquire their contact information.
“Federal elections are intended to be in-person events, with postal voting available if you can’t get to a polling place on the day or an early voting location in the two weeks prior to polling day,” he added.
For those needing a postal vote, the AEC urges them to apply directly on its website to ensure their privacy and data security are protected.
“If you need a postal vote, the easiest way to apply for one is to do it on the AEC’s website. It takes a few minutes and guarantees that your personal information stays secure with us.”
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