The Constitution Alteration (Simultaneous Elections) Bill 1974, was an unsuccessful proposal to alter the Australian Constitution to require simultaneous elections for the House of Representatives and the Senate. It was put to voters for approval in a referendum held on 18 May 1974. Previous elections to the House of Representatives and the Senate had usually held simultaneously although this was a matter of convention rather than constitutional law. Election terms had lost synchronisation in the 1960s with separate half Senate elections in 1964, 1967 and 1970. The bill to amend the constitution was passed by the House of Representatives however it was rejected by the Senate. Instead the referendum was put to voters using the deadlock provision in Section 128. Question Proposed law entitled "An Act to alter the Constitution so as to ensure that Senate elections are held at the same time as House of Representatives elections". Do you approve the proposed law? Results Proposed changes to the text of the constitution The proposal was to alter the constitution as follows (removed text stricken through; substituted text in bold): Section 7 The senators shall be chosen for a term of six years, and The names of the senators chosen for each State shall be certified by the Governor to the Governor‑General. Section 9 The Parliament of a State may make laws for determining the times and places of elections of senators for the State. Section 12 (1.) The Governor of any State may cause writs to be issued for elections of senators for the State. (2.) In case of the dissolution of the Senate The writs shall be issued within ten days from the proclamation of such dissolution date on which the places to be filled became vacant Section 13 (1.) Subject to this Constitution, the term of service of a senator expires upon the expiry or dissolution of the second House of Representatives to expire or be dissolved after he was chosen or, if there is an earlier dissolution of the Senate, upon that dissolution. (2.) As soon as may be after the Senate first meets, and after the first meeting of the Senate following a dissolution thereof of the Senate, the Senate shall, in accordance with the succeeding provisions of this section, divide the senators chosen for each State into two classes, as nearly equal in number as practicable; and the places of the senators of the