The eight quotas in Australia’s 2025 Senate election

The number of seats changes the formula

The AEC divides formal votes by one more than the number of vacancies, discards the remainder and adds one. Each state elected six senators in this contest, and each territory elected two. The quota represented about one seventh of formal votes in the states and one third in the territories. Source 1 Source 2

The same number of seats can yield different vote quotas

New South Wales recorded 4,986,832 formal votes, compared with 371,790 in Tasmania. With six vacancies in each state, the respective quotas were 712,405 and 53,113. The chart distinguishes the vote count and the share required for a quota. Source 4 Source 9 Source 1

The ACT’s smaller contest used a larger quota share

The ACT’s 293,474 formal votes produced a quota of 97,825 for its two vacancies. The Northern Territory recorded 106,807 formal votes and a quota of 35,603. The different raw quotas come from the size of the formal vote under the same two-seat formula. Source 10 Source 11 Source 2

Counts and declarations mark later stages

Victoria’s Senate count took 289 steps and its poll was declared on 29 May. Western Australia’s 169-step count was completed on 29 May and declared on 3 June. AEC preference transfers continue after first preferences are recorded. Source 1 Source 2 Source 3

Sources

• Australian Electoral Commission, 2025 federal election report, Senate count
• Australian Electoral Commission, Senate quota and preference counting
• Australian Electoral Commission, 2025 Senate results and jurisdictions
• AEC Tally Room, New South Wales formal Senate votes
• AEC Tally Room, Victoria formal Senate votes
• AEC Tally Room, Queensland formal Senate votes
• AEC Tally Room, Western Australia formal Senate votes
• AEC Tally Room, South Australia formal Senate votes
• AEC Tally Room, Tasmania formal Senate votes
• AEC Tally Room, Australian Capital Territory formal Senate votes
• AEC Tally Room, Northern Territory formal Senate votes