To vote for or stand for election to the Council, you must have your name entered on the Electors Roll, a process managed by the independent Tasmanian Electoral Commissioner.

The Act allows people to apply to be on the Roll at any time. However, a process is in place to assess applications as an election approaches. 

You must first apply to be included on the Preliminary Roll, which will then be open to public inspection. If there are no objections to the application and the Electoral Commissioner is satisfied with the evidence provided within the application, you will then be transferred to the Electors Roll and be able to vote and stand in the ALCT elections.

Anyone may object to a name on the Preliminary Roll, but only on the grounds that the person is not an Aboriginal person. The Electoral Commissioner will consider the submissions and advice and decide to accept or reject the objection. 

Once you are on the Electors Roll, the Electoral Commissioner can:

• Update addresses.
• Remove or reinstate people on request, noting that they may remove a person from the Roll if they no longer live in the electoral area.

The Electoral Commissioner will write to everyone on the Roll before an election to check their correct address and details.

To be entitled to have your name entered on the Roll, you must:

• Be an Aboriginal person within the meaning of the Act.
• Live in the electoral area for which you wish to be enrolled.
• Be at least 18 years of age.

Definition of Aboriginal person

The Act defines ‘Aboriginal person’ in section 3A:

“(1) An Aboriginal person is a person who satisfies all of the following requirements:

1. Aboriginal ancestry;
2. self-identification as an Aboriginal person;

(c) communal recognition by members of the Aboriginal community.

(2) The onus of proving that a person satisfies the requirements referred to in subsection (1) lies on that person.”

Aboriginal ancestry

You are encouraged to provide authentic evidence showing a direct line of ancestry linked to traditional Aboriginal society.

This includes:

• A verifiable family tree.
• Archival or historical documentation that links you to a traditional family or person.

Where you cannot locate documentary evidence, other forms of evidence can be considered. These include:

• Photographs
• Family folklore or personal statements

However, these must be verified and, where possible, checked against available archival information.  

Please be aware that these forms of evidence alone may not provide enough proof of ancestry.

The Electoral Commissioner is entitled to seek further advice from a Review Committee, archivists or other sources, particularly where little or no supporting documentation is provided, but also in other cases.

Where a person claims Aboriginal ancestry from outside Tasmania, proof of ancestry must be available from the area of Australia concerned. 

Please note family tree information is not necessarily disclosed.

Self-identification

In addition to demonstrating Aboriginal ancestry, you must also demonstrate genuine self-identification as an Aboriginal person. This requirement is generally satisfied when signing a declaration.

Communal Recognition

In addition to the above, you must also demonstrate recognition or acceptance by members of the Aboriginal Community.

This means you must be known by other Aboriginal people in your community and demonstrate your involvement with the community. 

It will help you if:

• You have three signatures from recognised members of the Aboriginal community.
• The signatories acknowledge you or your family’s identification as Aboriginal.
• The signatories must not be from your immediate family group; they must be from family groups that are accepted members of the broader Aboriginal community.

Confirming communal recognition from an Aboriginal organisation would not be sufficient without separate support from local families and community members. 

Where a person claims Aboriginal ancestry from outside Tasmania, proof of communal recognition may come from within or outside Tasmania.

For further information about the electoral process, visit the Tasmanian Electoral Commission at www.tec.tas.gov.au