My partner is Australian and in the first federal election after he moved over here, he had to go to a Justice of the Peace and get his vote witnessed and send it over - and I think he had to go to the Australian consulate to get the forms in the first place - and after all that bother I think the paperwork didn't make it to Australia in time and he was fined anyway. But he's lived here long enough now that he's excused from voting there and can vote in NZ elections instead.
The whole concept of compulsory voting is strange to me, and non-compulsory voting was very strange to him the first time!
no subject
My partner is Australian and in the first federal election after he moved over here, he had to go to a Justice of the Peace and get his vote witnessed and send it over - and I think he had to go to the Australian consulate to get the forms in the first place - and after all that bother I think the paperwork didn't make it to Australia in time and he was fined anyway. But he's lived here long enough now that he's excused from voting there and can vote in NZ elections instead.
The whole concept of compulsory voting is strange to me, and non-compulsory voting was very strange to him the first time!