【History Archives】

In Australia,History Archives the deadline to enrol to vote for marriage equality is approaching fast.

Australians will be sent a voluntary postal survey on the matter in September, after the country's government failed to get its marriage equality plebiscite (a public vote on an issue which doesn't affect the country's constitution) through parliament twice.

SEE ALSO: Being afraid to come out in a country that just elected a lesbian prime minister

The announcement of a postal vote has culminated in a campaign called Equality Weekender, a series of events, parties and barbecues between Aug. 17 to 20 around Sydney -- and hopefully nationally -- encouraging people to enrol or ensure they're eligible to vote.

The campaign, which has only materialised in the past few days with the help of a team of five people, has signed on more than 40 venues, which will allow people to enrol on the spot.

Time is very short: The closing date for enrolments is Aug. 24, and the postal survey (if it isn't nixed by the country's highest court) will start on Sept. 12.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Equality Weekender organiser Kat Dopper, who also runs a series of LGBTQ-friendly parties called Heaps Gay, said the campaign's aim is to connect with people who may be disengaged with politics and thus the voting process.

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"If you look at the venues, they're not necessarily LGBT venues. We're talking local pubs, or restaurants, and it's targeting people that may not necessarily care," she explained.

While the country has compulsory voting, the country's electoral commission estimates more than 800,000 people aren't enrolled to vote, roughly 5 per cent of Australia's population.

"It's targeting people that may not necessarily care."

It's a starker statistic among those aged 18 to 24. More than 250,000 young people have gone missing from the electoral roll since the last election, according to the ABC. A staggering number, given marriage equality is an issue that would particularly resonate among that group.

What's more, the postal survey is expected to cost A$122 million (US$96 million). It's a controversial amount of money to spend, considering the survey is non-binding, and the government can choose to ignore the results if they so wish.

"We are constantly fighting to create safe spaces and look after the mental health of young people, and support the trans community," Dopper said. "When you can see the government can get $122 million and waste it on something that doesn't link to any form of legislation, it makes me incredibly angry."

Following Equality Weekender, the campaign is set to transition to one around the "yes" vote.

"It's all good and well to get people enrolled," she explained. "But I don't remember the last time I put something in the mail, so I can imagine snail mail isn't something people go out of their way to do."

But in the end it's about people "getting a piece of paper, filling it out and posting it back with a yes." By the way, the link to enrol is here.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Capture your underwater adventures with this inexpensive GoPro-like iPhone case

---

• Social Good
• Entertainment
• Digital Culture
• Games
• Tech
• Science
• Deals
• Life

• AC Milan vs. Feyenoord 2025 livestream: Watch Champions League for free
• Google app seen as a trojan bug by some Huawei and Honor phones · TechNode
• Alibaba donates its Quantum Lab to Zhejiang University · TechNode
• China’s Zeekr to start selling electric vehicles in Hong Kong, Macau · TechNode
• Ms. Frizzle spotted at Science Marches across the globe
• Vivo unveils self
• NIO wins special approval for EV production after years of contract manufacturing · TechNode
• Douyin racks up $274 billion in e
• The Steam Machine: What Went Wrong
• Xiaomi’s debut car to feature proprietary OS, targets premium segment · TechNode

• How to choose a wedding website provider without losing your mind
• Sean Spicer lied again: He's doing 'Dancing with the Stars' after all
• A drone raced an ambulance to deliver medical supplies and won
• Gmail is super busted right now (it's not just you)
• Chaos erupts after a misheard bid for a rare Porsche at auction
• George R.R. Martin is relieved 'Game of Thrones' finally ended on HBO
• Even a Republican study can't confirm anti
• Asus' new white leather
• In praise of Seth Cohen, the cool geek of 'The O.C.'
• Nintendo isn't officially upgrading recently bought Switch consoles

• Then and Now: 5 Generations of GeForce Graphics Compared
• TSMC may build a third plant in Japan for 3nm chips · TechNode
• Jack Ma urges Alibaba to change and reform as PDD catches up in market value · TechNode
• Shein acquires British fashion brand Missguided · TechNode
• E3 2017 Trailer Roundup: Upcoming PC Games
• Xiaomi’s Q3 net profit surges by 182.9% y
• Two budget
• WPS apologizes for seeming to let private documents be used for AI training · TechNode
• SpaceX will try to achieve 2 impressive feats on Monday
• China’s Zeekr to start selling electric vehicles in Hong Kong, Macau · TechNode

• Donald Trump talked about space and Buzz Aldrin's face says it all
• Vivo unveils self
• Volvo launches first electric MPV targeting Chinese premium segment · TechNode
• China’s Changan signs up to adopt NIO’s EV swapping standard · TechNode
• Assassin's Creed Origins: How Heavy is It on Your CPU?
• VW’s Cariad, Vivo form joint lab for in
• Tencent’s Delta Force surpasses four million pre
• Moore Threads completes new round of financing following sanction listing · TechNode
• Best GPU deal: Get the MSI RTX 5080 for $1,249.99 at Best Buy
• Chinese EV maker Hozon moves into UAE market · TechNode