National_Tally_Room
The National Tally Room[1][2][3] was the Australian centre for federal election results to be tallied for electorates and Senate quotas, making up the Parliament of Australia, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Tally Room was operated by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) between 1972 and 2010.
The tally room normally opened as results began to flow in after voting ended at 6pm on the day of the election, always a Saturday, in the respective states and territories and polling places begin to count the votes; however, some voting figures would be received as early as 5.20pm.[1] On election night, the room closed after the final results from polling places were announced to the tally room, often after midnight following the day of the election. Polling centres that did not finish counting all votes recommenced counting on Sunday.
The Tally Room operated between the 1972 and 2010 federal elections. At the 1998 federal election the AEC introduced the Virtual Tally Room,[4] which eventually superseded the Tally Room at the 2013 federal election.[5]