In Australia, an informal vote is a ballot paper that is not completed correctly or does not meet the requirements for a formal vote. Only formal votes can be counted and contribute to the election result. Informal votes can occur when a ballot paper is blank, contains no clear indication of the voters intention, or has writing or marks that identify the voter. At federal elections, around 5% of votes are informal. The Australian Electoral Commission provides a summary of the informality rates for the House of Representatives and Senate by year and state. It is illegal to photograph a completed ballot paper in a secret election, and doing so can make the ballot paper identifiable and change it from a formal to an informal vote.