Federal Election Announcement And Polling Dates Since 1966

The table on this page shows the announcement dates, polling dates, and the number of campaign days for each federal election over the past 50 years.

Many elections, including the one announced today by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, are preceded by rumours about the date but the only fair comparison of the length of an election campaign is to compare the length of time between the official announcement of the election and polling day.

Turnbull has initiated the longest official election campaign since 1984. It is 55 days (seven weeks and six days) until July 2. In 1984, Bob Hawke’s campaign was 54 days long. It was 53 days in 1972.

In the past fifty years, the longest time between election announcement and polling day was 107 days in 1966. The election date was the subject of rumours for months. A pre-election visit by US President Lyndon Johnson was a contributing factor.

There is no question that the longer than usual campaign Turnbull has initiated is due to his desire to hold a double dissolution. Constitutionally, this had to be announced by May 11. Whilst the election could have been held in June, the July date means that Senate terms will not be cut short, ensuring that House and Senate elections stay in alignment.

• Malcolm Turnbull Announces July 2 Double Dissolution
• The Myth of the Ten-Week Election Campaign in 1984