Date set for Bradfield, Higgins by-elections: Australian Electoral Commission

October 29, 2009 Voters in the Australian electorates (seats) of Bradfield and Higgins will vote for a new representative on December 5. The seats were vacated by the retirements of Brendan Nelson and Peter Costello.

"All Australian citizens aged 18 years and over living in the ... electorate[s] are eligible to vote in this by-election, as long as they are correctly enrolled to vote when the electoral roll closes. If you’re not on the electoral roll, you must fill in an enrolment form immediately and return it to the AEC by 8pm, 30 October 2009. If you’re already on the roll but recently moved and need to update your enrolment, you have until 8pm, 9 November 2009 to get your completed enrolment form to the AEC,” AEC Divisional Returning Officers, Yvonne Harrison (for Bradfield) and Mark Strong (for Higgins) said.

Despite electorates in New South Wales, such as Bradfield (on Sydney's upper North Shore), the by-election will be contested using the boundaries as per the 2007 nationwide election.

The noted that all electors enrolled to vote must do so at the by-election, "including electors aged over 70 years." Voters in Higgins, a Victorian electorate, do not have to vote at local or state government elections.