Editing Early voting (section)

===Australia===
[[File:Pre-poll voting rates 2010–2025.svg|thumb|Chart of the number of pre-poll votes cast for Australian federal elections from 2010 to 2025]]
In Australia, where voting is compulsory,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aec.gov.au/Voting/Compulsory_Voting.htm |title=Compulsory Voting |date=18 May 2011 |website=Australian Electoral Commission |publisher=Commonwealth Government |access-date=November 5, 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921225146/https://www.aec.gov.au/Voting/Compulsory_Voting.htm |archive-date= Sep 21, 2018 }}</ref> early voting is usually known as "pre-poll voting". Voters are able to cast a pre-poll vote for a number of reasons, including being away from the electorate, travelling, impending maternity, being unable to leave one's workplace, having religious beliefs that prevent attendance at a polling place, or being more than 8&nbsp;km from a polling place.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aec.gov.au/Voting/ways_to_vote/ |title=Voting |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2018 |website=Australian Electoral Commission |publisher=Commonwealth Government |access-date=November 5, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105160542/https://www.aec.gov.au/Voting/ways_to_vote/ |archive-date=November 5, 2018 }}</ref> There were over 600 early voting centres available in 2016.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-15/federal-election-2019-pre-polling-and-early-voting/11002874 |first1=Alle |last1=McMahon |title=Got plans on federal election day? Here's how you can cast your vote early|work=ABC News|date=April 30, 2019|access-date=May 27, 2020}}</ref>

At the [[2019 Australian federal election]], 6.1&nbsp;million votes were cast early (including postal votes), equating to 40.7 percent of total votes cast. This represented an increase from 26.4 percent at the [[2013 Australian federal election|2013 election]] and 13.7 percent at the [[2007 Australian federal election|2007 election]]. Following the 2019 elections, members of the parliamentary standing committee on electoral matters expressed concern about the length of the pre-poll voting period, suggesting that it was imposing costs on both the [[Australian Electoral Commission]] (AEC) and political parties, and that electors voting too early may be unable to respond to developments in the final weeks of the election campaign.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/mps-scrutinise-early-votes-and-palmers-spree/news-story/7d4c2271b4186285978e7547b3bab17e |url-access=subscription |title=MPs scrutinise early votes and Palmer's spree|first=Rosie|last=Lewis|newspaper=The Australian|date=June 7, 2019|access-date=May 27, 2020}}</ref>

Hospitals and remote areas are served by [[Travelling Voting Booths]].{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}