Electoral chief warns Senate vote inquiry

The Australian Electoral Commission says it needs a minimum three months to implement planned changes to the way Australians vote for the Senate.

Addressing a joint parliamentary committee inquiry in Canberra on Tuesday, electoral commissioner Tom Rogers said the AEC was ready to hold a federal election.

But he warned the three month timeline was based on the "broad shape" of legislation now before parliament and if it changed significantly the commission would have to revise timing and cost estimates.

At the 2013 election 480,000 votes were cast below the line on Senate ballot papers, and of those 8000 were rejected as informal.

Nearly 68,000 below-the-line ballots were saved because the system allows three errors.

If a proposed five-errors provision was in place about 4000 more votes would have been saved.

Mr Rogers confirmed the commission was working with the finance department to determine the cost of an education campaign.

But he hopes to tie-in the changes with the standard campaign the commission runs to educate voters ahead of a poll.

Mr Rogers said the commission had started work on the use of party logos on ballot papers, which he understands will be in black and white.