Preferred voting system
Q. Which of the following voting systems would you prefer when voting for the Federal House of Representatives.
- A preferential voting system where voters rank all candidates in order of preference.
- An optional preferential system where voters can rank one, some, or all candidates in order of preference.
- A “first past the post” system, where voters only vote for one candidate and the candidate with the most votes wins.
11 Jul 11 |
Total 14 Jan 13 |
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
|
Preferential |
22% |
23% |
29% |
20% |
32% |
Optional preferential |
26% |
25% |
26% |
23% |
43% |
First past the post |
44% |
44% |
40% |
52% |
24% |
Don’t know |
7% |
8% |
5% |
5% |
1% |
Of the three voting options given, 44% favoured “first past the post”, 25% optional preferential and 23% the current preferential system – almost no change since the question was last asked in July 2011.
Optional preferential was most preferred by those aged under 35 (30%) while older groups strongly favoured first past the post (52% of aged 45+).
“First past the post” was preferred by 52% Liberal/National voters and 43% of Greens voters preferred optional preferential.

COVID-19 RESEARCH
Read Essential's ongoing research on the public response to Covid-19.
Essential Report
In this week's report:
- Performance of Scott Morrison
- Performance of Anthony Albanese
- Preferred Prime Minister
- Views towards re-electing the federal Coalition government
- Party trust to handle issues
- Importance of Australia’s international reputation
- Scott Morrison’s impact on Australia’s international reputation
- Views towards Australia’s international reputation
Sign up for updates
Receive the Essential Report in your inbox.Essential Tags
Recent Comments
