There are calls for "systemic change" in the Northern Territory to make sure elections have higher numbers of remote voters.
According to the Australian Electoral Commission, 25,000 Territorians remain unenrolled - with 16,412 of those Indigenous voters - ahead of Saturday's Northern Territory general election.
Alawa Elder, Aunty Naomi Wilfred lives in Minyeri, 240 kilometres south-east of Katherine.
She told SBS News some of the biggest hurdles voters face in remote communities are a lack of enrolment education, awareness and language barriers.
"We got teenagers growing up here, they don't know what voting is. We tell them that they need to vote because they need their voice to be heard," she said.
"We need the politicians to come down and do some workshops about policy, breaking down what the higher words mean."
While the Northern Territory Electoral Commission (NTEC) has election messaging in eight different Aboriginal languages, Ms Wilfred said more can be done on voting days.
Aunty Wilfred has visited bush communities with organisations GetUp and Seed Mob. Source: Supplied/GetUp
"When it comes to voting, they should be having someone from the community to help them with that they need," she said.
"Also, people with disabilities [need support], some elderly, they worry about policy and all the time they vote but when they're very sick they can't do it, but they still want a hand up for voting."
Housing, healthcare and crime remain key concerns for people in bush communities, Aunty Wilfred said, but she said such issues are only given attention during the lead up to an election and then quickly forgotten.
There are 25,000 Territorians who remain unenrolled. Source: Supplied/GetUp
"When everything is settled, we still get missed out," she said.
"We want to vote for people where we can get support for housing, even health dialysis, and children that have problems with hearts and diabetes.
"We also want houses with better conditions. Some houses that we have back home have water leaking and the drain smells and all this doesn't work properly.
"We voting for people, we think that our voice got to be heard."
Aunty Wilfred has been travelling to bush communities with organisations GetUp and Seed Mob to help during the lead up the Northern Territory election. The group have so far travelled to 30 different communities.
First Nations campaign director for GetUp Larissa Baldwin agreed culturally appropriate voting centres are imperative to lift the remote vote.
First Nations campaign director for Get Up Larissa Baldwin, right. Source: Supplied/GetUp
"There are no translators, which is a huge issue, not even into Kriol [the second most common language in the Northern Territory]," she said.
"Even to the point of getting people to explain to the people working in the polls how to spell their names - and you know they're not typical English names - so there's a lot of confusion around that."
At a recent parliamentary inquiry, Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers said some remote voters weren't interested in being involved in Australian politics.
"We have had experience of going into some Indigenous communities and they've simply said, 'we are not enrolling, we are disengaged from Australian society, and it doesn't matter how many visits you do, we will not enrol'," he said.
Ms Baldwin says that isn't the case.
The group have travelled to 30 different communities. Source: Supplied/GetUp
"People think that Aboriginal people don't want to vote and they don't care about voting. They do care about voting, they care deeply about political issues."
Amelia Telford from Seed Mob - Australia’s first Indigenous youth climate network - said social media campaigning has brought some voters back onto the electoral roll but there is still a long way to go.
The group designed a campaign on TikTok to capture the attention of younger voters.
"We wanted to reach people where they're at, so both online and then face-to-face in communities," she said.
"So we thought that using Tik Tok would be a fun way to raise awareness."
Ms Telford said the organisations have also been using practice ballot cards to teach people in communities how to number their ballot papers.
"A tool that we’ve used is a little printed out pretend ballot paper that asks people what their favourite bush food is, whether its barramundi or a long-necked turtle or goanna," she said.
"Its encouraging people to, I guess, make sure that they number every box, so not just put a tick or a cross but to make a valid vote."
The NTEC Commissioner Iain Loganathan said with only one day of remote voting left, it's unlikely numbers will improve this year.
Seed Mob’s Amelia Telford, right. Source: GetUp
"The turnout in a number of other remote divisions will likely be just over 50 per cent," he said.
"Anecdotally, our voting teams have reported that there have been many funerals and ceremonies that were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic which are now taking place."
But, he added, while COVID-19 had a partial role to play in participation numbers this year, the problem is "more systemic".
"People living in urban areas have their enrolment details updated automatically through the Australian Electoral Commission's Federal Direct Enrolment Update system," he said.
"But that system does not operate in areas where there is no postal delivery to the street address."
"This has led to a decline in roll accuracy in remote communities, making it difficult to measure actual participation."
With only one full day of remote voting left, it’s unlikely numbers will improve. Source: Supplied/GetUp
He also said many Aboriginal Territorians are not on the electoral roll, and "many of those who are, don't vote".
"The gradual and eventual shutdown of remote enrolment programs has also served to disenfranchise remote voters because without that program there is no continuity in remote areas, in terms of electoral education and awareness," he said.
"It would be easy to blame the circumstances that have occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic for the low turnout, but in reality, remote turnout in the Territory has been an issue for decades.
"The voter numbers from remote communities make it clear that participation in the democratic process is just not a priority.
"How, and whether this view can change is not just a question for the NTEC, it is an issue of concern for every Territorian."
