University of Adelaide 2022 Research Scholarship Understanding and Addressing Informal Voting in Australia

The project “Understanding and Addressing Informal Voting in Victoria”  is funded by the University of Adelaide to support a full-time PhD student who wishes to undertake research in the field of electoral and political behaviour. The scholarship is attached to an ARC Linkage Project and our partners are the Victorian Electoral Commission who are offering unprecedent levels of support and co-operation, including the detailed analysis and categorisation of every single informal vote cast in 3 Victorian state and local elections between 2020 and 2024 inclusive. Findings will inform recommended changes to the way elections in Victoria are conducted in future. Although our work focuses on Victoria, findings will be relevant for all Australian jurisdictions and comparable settings worldwide. Apart from Lead CI Hill, the other CIs are A/Prof. Rodrigo Praino (Flinders University) , Paul Thornton-Smith (VEC) and the Victorian Electoral Commissioner, Mr Warwick Gately.  The PhD candidate will be supervised by Prof. Lisa Hill and co-supervised by A/Prof.Rodrigo Praino. A brief description of the project follows:

Victoria's informal vote rate is high and rising. In order to combat the problem of hundreds of thousands of 'lost votes' at Victorian state and local government elections we must first understand it. This collaboration with the Victorian Electoral Commission addresses the problem at both state and local levels over 3 election periods using 4 distinct studies. We combine experimental data, aggregate-level data and individual-level data to provide a thorough and multi-dimensional picture of informal voting. We will then propose remedies to be trialled and assessed. Taken together, our studies will represent the first multi-dimensional study of informality to be conducted in any Western democracy.

• Table of Content
• About University of Adelaide
• University of Adelaide PhD Scholarship
• Aim and Benefits of University of Adelaide PhD Scholarship
• Requirements for University of Adelaide PhD Scholarship Qualification
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About University of Adelaide

143 years ago the University of Adelaide was founded with a noble goal: to prepare, for South Australia, young leaders shaped by education rather than birth or wealth in a settlement free of old world social and religious inequalities. The University's first Vice-Chancellor, Dr Augustus Short, had a vision for a university open to investigate new fields such as the sciences, modern literature, art and moral philosophy; This vision was realised in 1882 when the University became the first in Australia to grant degrees in science. The spirit of enquiry was further embraced and the freedom ... continue reading

University of Adelaide PhD Scholarship

Aim and Benefits of University of Adelaide PhD Scholarship

The scholarship will be for 3 years and has a stipend of $28,854 (indexed annually) per annum.

Requirements for University of Adelaide PhD Scholarship Qualification

• All nationalities.
•  Postgraduate Research in Faculty of Arts at the university.
•  To be eligible, the applicants must meet all the following criteria:
• Applicants must be Australian citizens or permanent residents of Australia international students accepted as candidates for a PhD degree at the University of Adelaide.

Application Deadline

How to Apply

Expressions of interest should be submitted to Professor Lisa Hill at [email protected] by no later than 2 April 2022 with the name of scholarship in the subject heading. Please ensure you include all of the following documents:

• Degree certificates (testamurs)
• Full Academic transcripts
• Translations of non-English documentation
• Evidence of English language proficiency
• Curriculum vitae