The battle for these first-time votes will be fiercest in the inner city,where the three-month enrolment surge was most pronounced and where Labor and the Greens will compete over several marginal seats.
In Greens-held Melbourne and in Labor-held Richmond and Brunswick,the number of people who enrolled in the plebiscite period easily outstrips the margins by which the seats are held.
The same scenario applies in Prahran,a three-way contest in which the Liberals hope to win back a seat they lost to the Greens in 2014.
First-time voters could also prove influential in several marginal Labor-held seats the Liberals need to win to claim government,including Cranbourne,Bentleigh,Carrum and Frankston,where the number of people who enrolled during the plebiscite period exceeds the margin.
Michael Bell lives in Melbourne,a seat held by the Greens since 2014 and by Labor for more than 100 years before that.
He said he enrolled last year so he could vote yes to same-sex marriage and help put Australia on the right side of history.
Looking forward to November,he said he was undecided about his vote but listed housing affordability and the environment as his two biggest issues.
But the parties won’t be able to rely on the traditional mediums of television,radio or print to woo him.
Mr Bell said he was more likely to learn about policies by following politicians’ Facebook pages than from the media.
Lee Strike was a digital youth enrolment campaigner for the marriage equality campaign,and said the call for young people to enrol and vote yes took on a life of its own on social media.
More than 70,000 Victorians enrolled during the same-sex marriage's three-month voting period. In comparison,the roll grew by a little over 20,000 people in the next five months up to March;less than 30 per cent as many new voters in almost twice the time.
“Through marriage equality,many young people connected for the first time that politics had a direct personal impact on people they knew and loved,” Ms Strike said.
More than 70,000 Victorians enrolled during the same-sex marriage plebiscite postal vote period.Credit:Aaron Bunch
A senior Labor strategist said Labor would base its pitch to younger voters on its record on education,including its recent budget promise to make 38 priority TAFE courses free.
In inner-city electorates,it will campaign on rental reforms and Premier Daniel Andrews’ progressive record on social issues such as voluntary euthanasia.
Victorian Greens leader Samantha Ratnam said the Greens had been consistent in their support for same-sex marriage and that younger voters would value that.
“People don’t like populist politics,where politicians just seem to go with the popular wind of the day,they want genuine commitment to the issues that they really care about,” Ms Ratnam said.
The party would appeal to younger voters through its campaigns for housing reforms and social housing and strong action on the environment,she said.