Glossary
The words you'll hear on election night and in the lead-up.
- Above the line
- The top half of the upper house ballot, with one box per party or group. For 2026, number at least 5 boxes.
- Below the line
- The bottom half of the upper house ballot, with one box per individual candidate. For 2026, number at least 5 boxes.
- By-election
- An election held in a single seat between general elections, triggered by the sitting member resigning, dying, or being disqualified.
- Donkey vote
- A ballot where someone numbers "1, 2, 3…" straight down the paper, regardless of who the candidates are. It's a formal vote but doesn't reflect genuine preferences.
- District
- One of 88 single-member areas for the Victorian Legislative Assembly. Each district elects one MP.
- Early voting
- Voting at a designated early voting centre in the 10 days before election day. Open to anyone who can't attend on the day.
- Exhausted preference
- If every candidate you numbered has been elected or eliminated and you numbered no further boxes, your vote "exhausts" and plays no further role in the count. More likely in upper house counts given the "at least 5" minimum.
- Formal vote
- A ballot that follows the rules (every box numbered uniquely in the lower house; at least 5 boxes numbered in the upper house) and will be counted. Opposite: informal.
- Group Voting Ticket (GVT)
- Historical upper house system where voting "1" above the line let the party control your entire preference order. Abolished in Victoria in August 2026.
- How-to-vote card
- A flyer handed out by parties outside polling places showing their suggested preference order. You can follow it, part-follow it, or ignore it entirely.
- Informal vote
- A ballot that breaks the rules (blank, duplicate numbers, missing numbers) and is discarded.
- MLA
- Member of the Legislative Assembly — your lower house representative. Also sometimes just "MP".
- MLC
- Member of the Legislative Council — one of your 5 upper house representatives for your region.
- Preferential voting
- Also called "instant run-off". You rank candidates in order; lowest-polling candidates are eliminated and their votes redistributed until someone passes 50%.
- Proportional representation (PR)
- Voting system that shares out seats roughly in proportion to the vote share. Used for the upper house.
- Quota
- The number of votes an upper house candidate needs to be elected. In a 5-member region, quota = (formal votes ÷ 6) + 1.
- Region
- One of 8 upper house areas, each covering 11 districts and electing 5 members.
- Roll
- The register of enrolled voters. Closes 8pm Tuesday 3 November 2026 for this election.
- Safe seat / marginal seat
- A "safe" seat is one where the sitting party won by a large margin last time (typically 10%+ two-party-preferred). A "marginal" seat is one won by a small margin — these are the ones most likely to change hands.
- Single Transferable Vote (STV)
- The proportional system used for the upper house, with quotas, surpluses redistributed by fraction, and eliminations until all seats are filled.
- Two-candidate-preferred (TCP) / Two-party-preferred (TPP, 2PP)
- The final-round count in a lower house seat, showing the margin between the last two candidates after all other preferences have flowed. TPP specifically compares Labor vs Coalition.
- Writ
- The legal document formally commanding an election. Issued at the start, and must be "returned" with the result by a set date (19 December 2026 for this one).