Victoria

When & where to vote

Can I vote?

You can vote in the Victorian State Elections if you are:

18 years old or over
an Australian Citizen
a resident of Victoria
enrolled to vote before 20:00 on 8th November 2022

If you didn’t enrol by the deadline, you can still vote. Visit a voting centre to enrol and vote on the spot. Make sure you bring ID, such as your driver licence, learner permit, Australian passport, or a recent electricity bill or council rates notice in your name and showing your address. Let one of the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) voting centre staff know you are not enrolled, and they can assist you.

Do I have to vote?

Yes, if you meet the criteria listed above you have to vote. You can receive a fine of $92 if you do not vote without a good justification for why you could not vote.

When to vote

Many people in Victoria will vote on election day. In 2022, Election Day will be held on Saturday 26 November. Voting is open between 08:00 and 18:00 on that day.

If you cannot vote on election day, you can vote earlier in person or by mail (a postal vote) among other options listed below.

Where to vote

You can vote:

On election day – at a voting centre near your house. These are usually public buildings, such as schools, churches or halls. To find out what polling places are available you should visit https://maps.vec.vic.gov.au/elections or call 13 18 32 to find out what options are available.
Before election day – at an early voting centre OR by postal vote. You can vote at early voting centres between Monday 14 November and Friday 25 November. You don’t need a reason to vote early. Visit https://maps.vec.vic.gov.au/elections or call 13 18 32 to find out what options are available.
Vote by phone – you can register or telephone assisted voting if you are blind, have low vision, have a physical disability or are affected by the flooding events on or after 13 October 2022.
Mobile voting & voting from prison – The Victorian Electoral Committee will organise specialised mobile voting services for select nursing homes, community centres, aged care facilities, and homelessness support agencies across Victoria as well as most prisons. Check with your facility for more information. Prisoners serving a term of less than 5 years are eligible to vote.

What happens at the polling booth or early voting centre?

Outside the polling booth or early voting centre, you may see candidates and/or volunteers helping the candidates. They may offer you a piece of paper called a ‘how-to-vote’ card.

You do not need to take or follow the how-to-vote card if you do not want to. It can help you decide how to vote if you agree with the candidate’s policies. However, you can still vote for the candidate and rank the other candidates in a different order than what the how-to-vote card suggests.

Inside the polling booth, you will see a VEC election official at a table with a list of names. You need to check in with the election official. They will ask for your name, your address, if you have already voted in the election, and to confirm your electorate. The election official will give you two ballot papers and will point you to where you should vote.

You will vote at cardboard voting booths. The booths have dividers so no one else can see how you vote. The booths have pencils that you can use to mark your vote, but you can also use your own pencil or pen.

If you need help filling out the election ballot papers, you can take a support person or friend with you. The election official can also help you. This helper should not tell you who to vote for and must not tell anyone how you voted without your consent.

What do you do if will be overseas or interstate on election day?

If you will be travelling during election day (either within Australia or overseas),  you can either:

Vote ahead of time at an early voting centre or by postal vote;
Vote at interstate voting centres – You can vote in person (during business hours) at any interstate electoral commission office from Monday 14 November to 17:00 on Friday 25 November. Interstate commissions will not be open for in-person voting on election day – Saturday 26 November; or
Use Overseas postal ballot drop-off locations – All overseas voting in this election will be by post. You can apply to have ballot papers emailed to you, so you can print them and return them. You can drop off or post your vote to one of 27 postal ballot drop-off locations around the world for a faster return to Victoria.

You can also call the VEC on 13 18 32 to find out more information.