Australia is in the middle of their 2025 federal election. As I lined up to vote today, I wondered – How has Technology impacted the way we vote so far? Will lining up and nominating parties in the privacy of a cardboard booth be a thing of the past? Let’s find out.
Whether we like it or not, technology has revolutionised nearly every aspect of our lives — and politics is no exception. In Australia, technological advancements have transformed not only how political parties campaign, but also how citizens engage with elections and cast their votes.
Digital Campaigning: From Posters to Platforms
In the past, Australian election campaigns relied heavily on physical posters, door-to-door visits, printed advertisements, and televised debates. While these traditional methods still play a role, the digital age has opened entirely new avenues for reaching voters.
Social Media:
Political parties now maintain active presences on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (now X), TikTok, and YouTube.
Candidates use short videos, memes, livestreams, and posts to connect with voters — especially younger demographics who consume most of their information online.
Targeted Advertising:
Data analytics allow parties to micro-target ads based on voter interests, age groups, and even past voting patterns.
Facebook’s Ad Library reveals how millions of dollars are spent on tailored political ads — some promoting candidates, others attacking opponents.
Email and Text Campaigns:
Parties and candidates build massive email lists to send newsletters, fundraising appeals, and direct voting information.
Text messaging, once considered invasive, has become a standard tool, especially in the final days before elections.
The shift toward digital campaigning has made political messaging faster, more personal, and — sometimes — harder to escape.
Voting Technology: Cautious but Evolving
While campaigning has embraced technology quickly, Australia has moved more cautiously when it comes to changing the actual voting process.
Paper Ballots Remain King:
Australia remains deeply committed to physical paper ballots for federal elections.
The integrity, transparency, and auditability of paper-based voting are considered gold standards — especially in an era of cyberattacks and misinformation.
Electronic Voting Trials:
Some limited trials have taken place:
- iVote:
iVote is an online voting system used by the New South Wales Electoral Commission for certain state elections.
It allows eligible voters — particularly those with disabilities, those living overseas, or those outside their electorate — to vote online or by phone. - Assisted Electronic Voting:
At select polling stations, technology has been used to help visually impaired voters cast their ballots independently.
However, technical failures during the 2021 NSW local elections led to the suspension of iVote for future elections, demonstrating that electronic voting is still fraught with risk in Australia.
Transparency and Cybersecurity: New Political Frontiers
As digital campaigning and online political activity have increased, so too have concerns about transparency, cybersecurity, and misinformation.
Election Integrity:
Australian authorities, including the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), have ramped up efforts to detect and combat foreign interference, misinformation campaigns, and cyber threats during elections.
Disinformation Response Units:
Ahead of major elections, social media platforms coordinate with the government to remove false information about voting procedures or electoral fraud.
Transparency Reforms:
New rules now require greater disclosure of political advertising online. For example, paid ads must identify their source, helping voters understand who is behind particular messages.
Still, regulating the internet remains a challenging task — one that Australian policymakers are actively trying to refine.
Citizen Engagement: A Double-Edged Sword
Technology hasn’t just changed how parties campaign — it has also reshaped how ordinary Australians engage with politics.
Greater Access to Information:
Voters can now access party policies, candidate debates, and fact-checking resources within seconds.
This has helped increase political literacy for many.
Online Enrolment:
Thanks to the AEC’s online services, Australians can now enroll to vote, update their details, and check their registration status entirely online — a massive convenience compared to past paper-only processes.
Rise of Political Activism:
Hashtags, online petitions, virtual rallies, and crowd-sourced funding campaigns have allowed grassroots political movements to flourish.
However, technology also brings risks:
- Echo Chambers:
Algorithms on social media often feed users content that reinforces their existing beliefs, potentially leading to increased political polarization. - Misinformation:
False claims can spread rapidly online, sometimes faster than official corrections.
In short, technology has empowered citizens — but also made the political environment more complex and volatile.
A Balancing Act for the Future
Technology has undeniably modernised politics and voting in Australia.
Campaigns are faster, louder, and more personalised. Voters have more information at their fingertips than ever before. Online enrolment and services have made participating in democracy easier.
Yet, these advancements come with new challenges: safeguarding election integrity, protecting voters from misinformation, and maintaining public trust.
As Australia continues to navigate this evolving digital landscape, the goal remains clear — to ensure that technology strengthens democracy rather than undermines it.
One thing that is clear, the balance between innovation and caution will define the next chapter of Australian politics, and the votes that shape it.
The Harrywell Report
Photo by Dmitrii Vaccinium on Unsplash
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