CANBERRA: (Bernama-Xinhua) More than 200,000 Australians who failed to cast their mandatory votes in the 2025 general election have paid fines, according to the electoral commission, reported Xinhua.
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Thursday (July 30) that it has issued failure to vote notices to around 1.3 million people in relation to the 2025 election.
Of those 1.3 million, it said that 207,000 people had paid an administrative fine of A$20 (US$13.9) as of May, totalling A$4.14 million (US$2.9 million) in penalties.
Another 250,000 provided a valid and sufficient reason for not voting, the AEC said, while 710,000 did not respond to the notice by the deadline and could be fined up to A$330 (US$229.5) if they are taken to court.
"Like all legal matters, we weigh up a number of factors before commencing any action," the AEC said.
Voting in elections is mandatory for all Australian citizens aged 18 and over.
The AEC estimated voter turnout for the 2025 election of 90.7 per cent, a slight increase from 89.8 per cent in 2022. - Bernama-Xinhua
