1. The Assembly ballot — a "1" is enough
For your local member, NSW uses optional preferential voting. Put a 1 next to your first choice, and you're done — or keep numbering 2, 3, 4 for as long as you have preferences. Extra numbers can never hurt your first choice; they only matter if your earlier choices are knocked out. (Federal elections differ, and the two federal ballots differ from each other: on the green House of Representatives ballot you number every box, while on the white Senate ballot you number at least six boxes above the line or at least twelve below it.)
2. The upper-house ballot — the big one
The Legislative Council ballot covers the whole state. Above the line, a single 1 in one group's square is a formal vote — and you may keep numbering more groups if you want your preferences to travel further. Below the line, number at least 15 individual candidates. There are no group voting tickets in NSW: nobody else decides where your preferences go. Your vote flows exactly as far as your numbers, and no further.
3. Formal, informal, and the tick question
A clear first preference is where formality starts, not where it ends. On the Assembly ballot, and above the line on the Legislative Council ballot, a single clear 1 is a complete formal vote. Below the line on the Council ballot it is not: there you must number at least 15 candidates, consecutively from 1, or the ballot is informal. A single tick or cross on an Assembly ballot is treated as a 1 — but numbers are always safest. Blank ballots, or ballots where no first choice can be read, are informal and elect nobody. If you make a mistake at the polling place, just ask for a fresh ballot paper — you're entitled to one.
4. Enrolment and voting is easy
Voting is compulsory for citizens 18 and over, and enrolment takes minutes at the Enrol to vote page. You can vote early, by post, or on the day — the next state election is Saturday 13 March 2027. When the campaign comes, our how-to-vote cards will show you exactly how to put the Democrats first, laid out like the real ballot.