diff --git a/django/core/management/__init__.py b/django/core/management/__init__.py
index b25477fc82..0502489d4e 100644
--- a/django/core/management/__init__.py
+++ b/django/core/management/__init__.py
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ class ManagementUtility(object):
             curr = ''
 
         subcommands = list(get_commands()) + ['help']
-        options = [('--help', None)]
+        options = [('--help', False)]
 
         # subcommand
         if cword == 1:
diff --git a/docs/releases/1.7.1.txt b/docs/releases/1.7.1.txt
index cd534f1346..e16b7811e5 100644
--- a/docs/releases/1.7.1.txt
+++ b/docs/releases/1.7.1.txt
@@ -70,3 +70,5 @@ Bugfixes
 
 * Made the :setting:`SERIALIZE <TEST_SERIALIZE>` entry in the
   :setting:`TEST <DATABASE-TEST>` dictionary usable (:ticket:`23421`).
+
+* Fixed a crash in bash autocompletion on Python 3 (:ticket:`23551`).
diff --git a/tests/bash_completion/tests.py b/tests/bash_completion/tests.py
index 329ca8c70c..25a62148c0 100644
--- a/tests/bash_completion/tests.py
+++ b/tests/bash_completion/tests.py
@@ -32,9 +32,24 @@ class BashCompletionTests(unittest.TestCase):
             del os.environ['DJANGO_AUTO_COMPLETE']
 
     def _user_input(self, input_str):
+        """
+        Set the environment and the list of command line arguments.
+
+        This sets the bash variables $COMP_WORDS and $COMP_CWORD. The former is
+        an array consisting of the individual words in the current command
+        line, the latter is the index of the current cursor position, so in
+        case a word is completed and the cursor is placed after a whitespace,
+        $COMP_CWORD must be incremented by 1:
+
+          * 'django-admin start' -> COMP_CWORD=1
+          * 'django-admin startproject' -> COMP_CWORD=1
+          * 'django-admin startproject ' -> COMP_CWORD=2
+        """
         os.environ['COMP_WORDS'] = input_str
-        os.environ['COMP_CWORD'] = str(len(input_str.split()) - 1)
-        sys.argv = input_str.split(' ')
+        idx = len(input_str.split(' ')) - 1  # Index of the last word
+        comp_cword = idx + 1 if input_str.endswith(' ') else idx
+        os.environ['COMP_CWORD'] = str(comp_cword)
+        sys.argv = input_str.split()
 
     def _run_autocomplete(self):
         util = ManagementUtility(argv=sys.argv)
@@ -68,6 +83,13 @@ class BashCompletionTests(unittest.TestCase):
         output = self._run_autocomplete()
         self.assertEqual(output, ['sql sqlall sqlclear sqlcustom sqldropindexes sqlflush sqlindexes sqlmigrate sqlsequencereset'])
 
+    def test_completed_subcommand(self):
+        "Show option flags in case a subcommand is completed"
+        self._user_input('django-admin startproject ')  # Trailing whitespace
+        output = self._run_autocomplete()
+        for item in output:
+            self.assertTrue(item.startswith('--'))
+
     def test_help(self):
         "No errors, just an empty list if there are no autocomplete options"
         self._user_input('django-admin help --')