Australian Senate elections allow voters to vote "above the line" or "below the line". When voting above the line they mark one box for a political party, their

Australian Senate elections allow voters to vote "above the line" or "below the line". When voting above the line they mark one box for a political party, their vote will thereafter be distributed according to preferences registered at the electoral commission. If they vote below the line, they fill out what exact preference they prefer. This is a pragmatic compromise. The Senate elected on a proportional system, each party nominates up to 6 candidates and so their will frequently be hundreds of candidates to be numbered (the ballots are sometimes nicknamed "the tablecloths"). Voting in the House of Representatives does not have above the line voting, as it isn't a practical necessity.