Do I need to enrol?
The postal plebiscite will use the normal electoral roll. That means that if you voted at the last election and you still live at the same address, you will automatically be enrolled to vote next month.
If you aren’t on the roll or your details are out of date, you have until 6pm on August 24 to get on the and fix them. That’s two weeks from today.
Around 14 per cent of young people aged between 18 and 24 are not currently enrolled, according to the from the Australian Electoral Commission.
Nationally, the percentage of Australians of all ages who are not enrolled is about five percent.
When are we voting?
Ballot papers will start arriving in the mail from September 12.
You will have until November 7 to post them back.
Is it compulsory?
No. Unlike the original proposal - in-person plebiscite - the postal vote is not mandatory.
Advocacy groups are already voicing concerns that voter turnout will be low, and that the results will not be representative.
But the government says anyone who wants to vote badly enough will be able to figure out the postal system.
“If they want to be part of the vote, they'll be part of it,” deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce said.
Some in the gay and lesbian community are calling for a boycott to delegitimise the postal vote. Former High Court judge Michael Kirby, who is himself gay, said he would not be voting, saying the process made him feel like a “second-class” citizen.
Can I vote online instead?
No, again.
The vote will be done entirely through the post, conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), and will not have an online element.
Labor argues that system will disadvantage young people who are less familiar with stamps and non-electronic forms of mail.
“Why on earth are we not opening this up to the internet?” asked Labor’s Sam Dastyari.
“Let's not kid ourselves. That is how [young Australians] participate in politics.”
But Barnaby Joyce said he was not concerned: “I think young people are just as competent as any other person.”
Can I vote from overseas?
Yes. The ABS will post you your ballot as long as you are registered as an overseas voter.
Do the results matter?
A final result from the postal poll is expected by November 15.
In the event of a 'yes' vote, the government says it will allow a private member's bill to be introduced to the house in the final sitting fortnight of 2017 (the last week of November and the first of December).
Then members of parliament will be given a free vote, where it is expected to pass.
Parliamentarians will not be bound by the results of the plebiscite, but many, including some conservatives, have promised to respect the decision of the people even if it goes against their personal beliefs.
If the people vote "no" in the postal ballot, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said no bill will proceed.
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