Victoria

In Victoria, most local council elections are held in October every four years. Please check the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) website for more details on your council.

You do not have to be a citizen to enrol in local council elections in Victoria!

This is because for local governments in Victoria you can apply for an enrolment called ‘council enrolment’ if you are:

• aged 18 years or over
• pay rates on a property within a council area in Victoria (includes non-Australian citizens).

To check if you are a council-enrolled voter, contact your council directly.

It is not compulsory for council-enrolled voters to vote, except in Melbourne City Council.

All other voters do have to vote.

You can only vote once in any council election.

Who are you voting for?

Depending on your local council, you may be voting for:

• several people from the whole council area to represent you (an unsubdivided council)
• several people from the council area to represent your section of the community (multi-councillor wards)
• one person from the council area to represent your section of the community (single councillor wards).

To check the structure of your council, look up local council profiles.After all the councillors have been elected, they decide who will act as mayor (except in Melbourne City Council).

In Melbourne City Council, you directly elect the head of your local government, the Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor in addition to nine councillors.

Postal voting

All enrolled voters will receive a ballot pack in the mail.

Your ballot pack will contain:

• a ballot paper
• a ballot paper envelope (for your vote to go in)
• instructions about how to vote
• information about the candidates (these are called candidates statements)
• a reply-paid envelope to mail your ballot paper back.

Phone the VEC on 13 18 32 if you do not receive your ballot paper.

Postal voting: How do I fill in my ballot paper?

This is an example of a ballot paper.

You must write a number in each box on the ballot paper

• write 1 in the box next to the person you most want to win
• write 2 in the box next to your second choice
• keep numbering until every box has a number
• use numbers only

Postal voting: How to vote

• fill in your ballot paper
• put your finished ballot paper in the ballot paper envelope
• complete your details on the back, write your date of birth, sign and date it
• put your ballot paper envelop in the bigger addressed reply-paid envelope
• you do not need a stamp
• post your ballot paper in a post box or drop it off at your local election office by a VEC informed date.