‘Australian Electoral Rolls 1903-1980’ I hear you saying, cool, but is it REALLY free? Well yes it is, but only “for a limited time”.
As part of Ancestry’s 15th birthday offers they giving users free access to various collections, and the Australian Electoral Rolls are one of them.
To participate (if you are not already a member) you will need to sign up for a free account which requires your name and email address. Ignore the “Free Today” bit written on the picture, as it is actually FREE until October 15th.
But with 69,000,000 records in their Australian Electoral Rolls Collection, there is bound to be someone there you’re looking for.
Sadly Australian researchers don’t have census records available, as do our English and Scottish counterparts, since almost all were destroyed. We rely heavily on electoral rolls for information, and hence they are known as a “census substitute” record.
While they don’t contain the full family grouping information that a census does which includes name, address, age and occupation info together with relationship to the head of the household, and electoral roll will give you the name, address and occupation of all who were eligible to vote. As they were published reasonably frequently they are a handy tool for tracking people, particularly those who moved.
You can find the listing of Australian states, and years covered by these electoral rolls here.
Thank you for this service
I am trying to open the 1936 census to see where my grandmother was living when her Mother died so that I might follow that line as I cannot find Grans marriage papers as G. Grandfather broke her and her husband up so I am trying to backtrack can you help please
Barbara
Hi Barbarba, I presume it’s the 1936 Electoral Rolls that you’re tyring to look at, as there is no Australian 1936 Census. Sadly very few Australian Electoral Rolls exist. They were taken, the statistical info extracted, then destroyed. Anyway the Electoral Rolls show those who were eligible and registered to vote – so they don’t show everyone like a census does. To see the record you will need to subscribe to Ancestry.com.au or look at a Society or Library that has a subscription.
Looking for grandmothers name. She married Walter Leslie Spinks early last century
OK
Trying to find my parent’s last known address
150 weller st west geelong Victoria
Mr Jozef Cedro and Mrs Janina Cedro they will be in there mid 80’s can you help me please or can you givr me advice as how to find them
Looking for Minifie
Looking For John Thomas TEMPLETON and Betty May JOHNSON Possibly Walgett shire October 1954
Want to look at Australian Electoral rolls
Looking for Elizabeth Green nee Bannon. Thank u
looking for Green/ bannon family in australia
Looking for residence of laurel grace jane jackson in 1950
When are the electoral Rolls being updated by a further 5 or 10 years, please?
Hi Denise, I wouldn’t expect Ancestry’s Electoral Rolls to be updated (or certainly not anytime soon), as I imagine that what they have put online is what was negotiated with the content provider at the time. Anything else would be a new negotiation.
Hi
I have lost touch with good friends who moved and now live in Sydney, Australia. Their names are Brenda Isobel Steabler and Ian Steabler whose last known address was Breakfast Point, Sydney Australia. They have lived in Australia since the 1980s and Ian was previously in the Australian navy as he transferred from the British navy. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in anticipation of a positive result.
can’t access this useless site doesn’t Accept email address or password.
Michelle, telephone books (old ones) might help with your search. And of course you can search White Pages online (www.whitepages.com.au) for current numbers.