Key Points
- All referendum votes must be cast by 6pm on 14 October.
- Not all votes will be counted on referendum night.
- The AEC can't legally deliver a verdict on the night.
Millions of Australians will vote on Saturday on whether or not they support enshrining an in the constitution.
And once polling booths across the country close, teams from the Australian Electoral Commission will get down to the task of counting the ballot papers.
The Voice is a proposed independent and permanent advisory body, providing non-binding input to parliament and executive government on issues particularly impacting Indigenous people.
Around 17.5 million eligible Australian voters have been asked to write Yes or No on whether they support the constitutional amendment.
More than 7,000 voting centres will be open across the country from 8am to 6pm.
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) told SBS News that despite a flurry of 4.45 million early votes, if the count is close, a result may not be delivered on the night.
What is the counting process?
AEC teams at voting centres nationwide will count every vote cast on Saturday that evening.
They will also tally the vast number of early votes and do "small initial counts of the postal votes we have received so far".
However, not everything gets counted on the night.
"What doesn't get counted on the night are essentially the votes we don’t have in our possession in local counting centres yet," an AEC spokesperson told SBS News.
The AEC must legally wait 13 days after voting day for any ballot papers stuck in transit.
These may be votes coming from remote mobile voting centres, postal votes from other electorates or Australians voting overseas.
Check it twice!
Just like in federal elections, the AEC must undertake a process of 'fresh scrutiny'.
They count each vote a second time in the days following the referendum to ensure results are accurate.
How does a referendum become successful?
For a referendum to pass, it needs to reach a double majority.
That's a majority of the population and a majority of the states voting Yes.
The votes of people in the ACT and Northern Territory will count towards the national total, .
, the 2023 referendum will have the best baseline for democratic participation than any federal electoral event in Australian history.
When will we have a result?
The AEC said although the counter is simpler than election night (without party preferences to consider), it's illegal for them to call on the night without all votes on hand.
However, this does not stop the media from predicting results.
"There is a possibility that we could have an unofficial indicative result on the night, depending on how close the count is," the AEC spokesperson said.
"However, if the count is close, we may not have a clear result.
"Whether or not those public predictions by others are made on the night depends entirely on how close the result will be."
How to watch the Voice to Parliament referendum on Saturday night?
This Saturday, SBS and NITV will simulcast four hours of live news coverage as Australia’s votes are counted in the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum.
SBS World News at 6.30pm AEDT will be anchored by presenter Anton Enus and NITV News presenter, and Mudburra and Wagadagam woman, Natalie Ahmat, providing national coverage of the key news of the day and emerging referendum results.
From 7.30pm AEDT, a two-hour live special, The Point: Australia Decides, will be presented by Wuthathi and Meriam man John Paul Janke and Whadjuk Noongar woman Narelda Jacobs.
The First Nations led program will cover breaking news and analysis as votes are counted, with the hosts joined by a panel of guests including Professor Marcia Langton, Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce, former Senator and Olympian Nova Peris, Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth, and Tasmanian Liberal MP Bridget Archer, and more.
Online, SBS News will feature a live blog providing a running account of the night's events, including a regularly updated tally of the results.
Post-referendum analysis
Following Saturday’s referendum, SBS and NITV will continue the conversation, dissecting the result and its impact.
On Monday 16 October at 8.30pm on NITV, Karla Grant presents a special episode of Living Black looking at how we got to this historic referendum and hearing from some of the key Indigenous figures involved.
John Paul Janke and Narelda Jacobs will examine the aftermath of the referendum on The Point on Tuesday 17 October at 7.30pm, live on NITV and simulcast on SBS.
Stay informed on the 2023 Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum from across the SBS Network, including First Nations perspectives through NITV.
Visit the SBS Voice Referendum portal to access articles, videos and podcasts in over 60 languages, or stream the latest news and analysis, docos and entertainment for free, at the Voice Referendum hub on
