Online Enterprise Agreement Voting for Australian Employers and Unions

Why the way you run the vote matters

An enterprise agreement only takes effect if it is genuinely agreed to by employees and approved by the Fair Work Commission. The way the vote was conducted can be examined as part of that approval, so the process matters as much as the result.

An online ballot built for EA votes helps you show that:

• Every eligible employee had a fair opportunity to vote, including casual, part-time, remote, shift and field-based employees

• Each vote was secret and could not be traced back to an individual

• Only eligible employees voted, and only once

• The count is accurate and verifiable, with timestamps and records you can rely on

How online EA voting works with Electify

1. Plan the vote. We help you confirm the voting method, timeline and communications, and align the ballot with the access period and your internal requirements.

2. Load the voter list. You provide the list of eligible employees. We lock the register before voting opens.

3. Notify employees. Employees receive their unique voting link by email or SMS, along with reminders that lift turnout without flooding inboxes.

4. Employees vote securely. Voting is open on any device, at work or at home, during the voting window. Ballots are sealed at the device and stay sealed until the count.

5. Close, count and certify. When the poll closes, the count is sealed and certified. You receive turnout and result reports.

6. Use the records for lodgement. The reports and audit trail help you complete your application to the Fair Work Commission.

Who we work with

• Employers and HR teams putting a proposed agreement to the workforce

• Unions and bargaining representatives who want an independent, trusted result

• Larger or dispersed workforces, where paper and in-person ballots are slow, costly or unfair to shift workers and remote staff

Our clients include organisations across transport, manufacturing, aviation, education and community sectors.

Independent returning officer services

Many organisations choose not to run the vote themselves. Our team can act as your independent returning officer, planning, conducting and reporting on the ballot at arm’s length, so no one in your organisation has to defend the process later. Learn more about managed election services.

Working with local partners such as Fair Vote

Enterprise agreement votes often need more than one voting method, and workforces differ widely in where and how people work. That’s why Electify works with trusted local partners across Australia, such as Fair Vote Services, a Melbourne-based independent election company that specialises in industrial ballots, including enterprise agreement votes, protected action ballots, and registration and amalgamation ballots.

Working with local partners lets us offer the full range of voting methods for your vote:

• Online voting, with secure, confidential ballots on any device

• SMS and smart device voting, so employees without a work email can vote from their phone

• In-person voting, with dedicated locations and trained staff for sites where face-to-face voting is the better fit

You can choose one method or combine them. Mixing methods is often the fairest approach for a workforce that includes office staff, shift workers and field-based employees. Tell us about your workforce and we’ll recommend the right approach and the right partner for your vote.

Secure, private and built for scrutiny

• End-to-end encrypted ballots. Votes are sealed at the device.

• Tamper-evident audit trail. Every action is recorded, hashed and independently verifiable.

• Secret ballot. Scrutineers can verify the count without seeing how anyone voted.

• Data stays in-region. Hosted to meet data-residency expectations.

• Independent security testing. See our Bug Bounty program.

Frequently asked questions

Can we run an enterprise agreement vote online?
Yes. The Fair Work Act allows employees to vote on a proposed enterprise agreement by ballot or by an electronic method. An online platform has to be run in a way that is fair, accessible and confidential.

Who is eligible to vote?
Generally, the employees who will be covered by the proposed agreement, which can include casual employees. Eligibility is a common point of dispute, so confirm your voter list carefully, ideally with legal advice, before the ballot opens.

What is the access period?
Employees must be given access to the proposed agreement and related information for a set period before the vote, and must be told when, where and how they can vote. Check the current requirements on the Fair Work Commission website or with your advisers when planning your timeline.

How long does an online EA vote take?
After the access period, voting typically runs for several days. Online voting avoids the time and cost of printing, posting and counting paper ballots, and results are available as soon as the poll closes.

Does the platform make my agreement compliant?
No platform can do that alone. Electify gives you a secure, well-documented voting process. Your bargaining, notifications and agreement content still need to meet Fair Work requirements. We can advise on ballot process, and your legal adviser should confirm your obligations.

Can employees without a work email vote?
Yes. Voting links can be delivered by email or SMS, and we can support employees who need additional assistance.

Can you run the vote independently on our behalf?
Yes. Our team can act as your independent returning officer from planning through to reporting.

What do we receive after the vote?
Turnout and result reports, and a record of the ballot process that supports your application to the Fair Work Commission.

Ready to run your enterprise agreement vote?

Tell us about your workforce and timeline, and we’ll recommend the right approach.

Electify provides voting technology and election services. This page is general information and not legal advice. Consult your legal adviser about your obligations under the Fair Work Act 2009.