Before You Vote exists because most Australians vote in every election. Very few vote knowing what they are actually choosing. That gap is not an accident. It is a strategy – and it has been working for decades.
This is a free, independent civic education series published every Tuesday and Friday. No party affiliation. No corporate donors. No advertising. No one’s agenda but yours.
Every Tuesday – a current election or by-election decoded. Candidates, forces, and what the campaign is really about beneath the slogans.
Every Friday – a plain-language explainer on how the system works. How your vote is counted. Who funds political campaigns. What each level of government actually controls. Things most of us were never properly taught.
Before You Vote is here to close the gap.
We are not here to tell you how to vote. That is yours entirely — your values, your community, your call. We are here to give you what you need to make that choice for yourself. Not for someone else’s agenda.
The simplest thing you can do after reading is send it to five people you trust. No dark money. No proxy groups. Just Australians sharing useful things with the people around them. That is how this works.
Before You Vote is the public-facing action layer of Democracy Watch AU’s accountability and research work – built for every Australian who wants to know what is really going on.
We apply the same five questions to every candidate, every party, and every level of government. They are not partisan. They are the minimum standard of scrutiny every person seeking public office should meet.
Your Vote. Your Future. A fair go starts with an informed vote.