Major Digital Projects Report 2026

The Polling Place Technology (PPT) project aimed to deliver enhanced digital solutions that improve voter compliance, voter experience and operational effectiveness.

Led by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) the project achieved the following objectives:

• improved technology infrastructure, which expanded both voter and polling coverage
• increased voter compliance through real-time identification and prevention of multiple voting
• enabled more accurate issuing of votes for electors voting outside their enrolled electorates
• enhanced voter experience through streamlined polling place services.

Digital solutions improve experience for Australian voters

For the 2025 federal election, the project expanded coverage of Electronic Certified Lists (ECLs). An ECL is the modern alternative to the traditional paper certified list. Polling officials use ECLs to efficiently search the list of eligible voters, print the correct House of Representatives ballot paper on demand, and record that the voter has been issued their correct ballot papers. A total of 12,300 ECLs and 10,300 printers were used at over 5,100 polling places, more than double the number at the 2022 federal election. ECLs reduced the number of incorrectly issued ballot papers to electors voting outside their electorate to less than one in 200, compared with one in 12 in 2022.

The project also developed and trialled a digital Officer in Charge (OIC) return to help the OIC manage their polling place. The OIC return replaced traditional paper forms with bespoke software that increased efficiencies, improved polling place management, and provided real-time information and reporting to the AEC Command Centre. The digital OIC return was trialled at all pre-poll voting centres nationally and at all polling places in Tasmania, totalling 900 laptops. The digital OIC return resulted in a 45-minute improvement in Senate submission times, and polling place staff, on average, finished 36 minutes earlier.

During the delivery and implementation of the program, the AEC learnt from several challenges, particularly as time pressures intensified in the lead-up to the 2025 federal election. Lessons include:

• ensure early capability assessments to avoid procurement delays
• ensure resource planning focuses on implementation and post-implementation business as usual requirements for smooth end-to-end delivery
• embed change management early to help avoid rework, knowledge transfer and delays.

Key successes included risk management strategies including contingency plans and election rehearsals, as well as engagement with stakeholders and close collaboration between the project team and business and operational areas across the AEC.