Vote Talk

The Vote Talk Program aims to make elections and voting simple and easy for everyone to understand.

In 2025 the Ethnic Communities Council of NSW (ECCNSW) in partnership with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), will be delivering 100 face-to-face community engagement sessions in 10 languages and 12 virtual electoral education sessions to support community participation.

These sessions will include:

  • 10 x 10 face-to-face community engagementย sessions in 10 languages ie. Arabic/Cantonese/Greek/Mandarin/Hindi/Korean/Nepali/Thai/Tagalogย and Vietnamese.
  • 2 virtual sessions in English one each in WA and Eastern Time Zones
  • 2 virtual sessions in each of the following languages: Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, and Hindi in WA and Eastern Time Zone

Session dates and times coming soon, email Patricia Vaz (Project Officer) at [email protected] to register your interest.

Status

Current Project

Funded by

The NSW Electoral Commission + Australian Electoral Commission

Delivered

Metropolitan Sydney

Partnerships

The NSW Electoral Commission + Australian Electoral Commission

Produced in

Arabic, Cantonese, Greek, Hindi, Korean, Mandarin, Nepali, Tagalog, Thai and Vietnamese.

The Vote Talk model has previously involved:

  • Community consultations (over 100 individuals from the selected language groups).
  • Training bilingual facilitators on civics, podcast development and broadcast skills.
  • Recording podcasts on community attitudes towards voting and election processes. These included factual information aimed at dispelling misconceptions that could result in votes being โ€œinformalโ€ (and therefore not counted).
  • Live on-air radio conversations (163 hours total) scripted by ECCNSW, AEC and NSWEC to ensure accuracy and political neutrality.

The Impact

VOTE TALK HAS BEEN THAT MISSING LINK BETWEEN THE CALD COMMUNITY AND THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION.

Louie Leung
Cantonese Bilingual Educator

The Vote Talk program increased enrolment, electoral awareness and the voting formality rates of people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in New South Wales ahead of state and federal elections.

Vote Talk produced 23 podcasts in-language and delivered 122 minutes of on-air time with ethnic radio broadcasters. Additionally, the Vote Talk team held 30 face-to-face community engagement sessions with more than 500 community members ahead of the March 2023 NSW Elections.

One Vote Talk participant, Natalie, shared that her civic awareness increased after using the programโ€™s resources, โ€œI now understand exactly how the decisions made by different levels of government affect me and my family. Be part of the podcast. Its a great experience.โ€

Resources

Translated Material
  • Available for the Federal election
  • In-language material about how to make your vote count at the next election
Video Explainers in your Language
  • Available for the Federal election
  • In-language material about how to make your vote count at the next election
Work at the next Election
  • Learn how to get work as an election staffer
  • Bilingual people are highly sought after
Port Macquarie State By-Election Saturday 15 March 2025

A by-election for the district of Port Macquarie will be held on Saturday, 15th March 2025.

Media Coverage

by ABC NEWS, March 2, 2023

Calls for more engagement with CALD voters after high numbers of invalid votes in Western Sydney seats

For Thai Australian Kanokwan Ngamlertnapaporn, voting in past elections has been a daunting process.

by ABC NEWS, Sept 25, 2023

Strathfield’s lack of multilingual information in by-election postal votes not serving democracy, peak ethnic body says

Strathfield, one of Sydney’s most-multicultural seats, is heading to the polls next Saturday in one of four by-elections being held statewide, after former New South Wales Labor Leader Jodi McKay stepped down as the local member last year.