As election day looms and the promise of long queues and democracy sausages nears, many of us will go through the regular panic of trying to remember how to fill out our ballots.
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And while voting for your local House of Representative member can be quite straightforward once you decide on who you fancy, the senate can be an altogether more daunting proposition.
In the Riverina there are eight candidates to choose from for the member in the House of Representatives.
You write the number 1 in the box next to the candidate who is your first choice on your green ballot, and the numbers 2, 3 and so on against all the other candidates until all the boxes have been numbered, in order of your preference.
But the senate ballot can often trip people up, with two methods of voting coupled with a long laundry list of candidates.
IN OTHER NEWS:
This election there are six senate seats up for grabs in NSW, three held by the LIberals and three by the Labor party.
Liberals Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, Jim Molan and Marise Payne are all up for reelection, alongside Labor senators Kristina Kenneally, Jenny McAllister and Deborah O'Neill.
All up, on this year's ballot there will be 77 candidates representing 23 parties, along with some independents.
So, what's the best way to get your senate vote counted?
Above the line
Your first option is above the line voting. Here you need to number at least six boxes from 1 to 6 in terms of your preferences.
Much like in the House of Representatives vote, you place a 1 in the box above the party or group that is your first choice, the number 2 in the box above the party or group that is your second choice and so on until you have at least six boxes checked.
Below the Line
Voting this way means you choose individuals, rather than parties.
Here you must number at least 12 boxes from 1 to 12 for your vote to count. Again, Place a 1 in the box beside the candidate that is your first choice, and the numbers 2, 3 and so on to at least the number 12.
But you can carry on numbering as many candidates as you like past 12.
Which is best for me?
For most of us, voting above the line is the convenient option, said Charles Sturt University Political Science Professor Dominic O'Sullivan.
"You basically decide which party is your first preference then you're letting that party's choices determine where your second, third and subsequent votes go," he said.
"You're basically contracting your vote out to your number one party."
Professor O'Sullivan said that this method is most attractive as to vote below the line requires you to get to know the individual running for office, of which there are many.
But, if you can take the time to find out about at least 12 of the candidates and vote below the line, democracy will be better served, he said.
"Democracy works better when people vote below the line because each person's vote does actually reflect their own preferences," he said.
Voters who may not be totally sold on one party in particular, also get the freedom to mix and match based on policy and personality.
"If your most preferred candidate is from one party, but your second and third most preferred candidates are from another party you can mix them up. You're not stuck with all the candidates from one party, for example."
"Voting below the line means the voter is in control. But it also means they have to be better informed."
With an election that looks too close to call at this point, an informed senate vote could be all the more meaningful come May 22.
"The senate is a house of review ... the senate's job is to act as a check on government power," Professor O'Sullivan said.
"A cross-bench with which a government has to negotiate can curb some of the extremes of a government's policy priorities.
"By definition voters don't like policies that are seen as on the extreme."
You can find out more about how to vote here.
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