In Western Australia, local government elections are held on third Saturday in October every two years. Please check the Western Australian Electoral Commission (WAEC) website for more details on your council.
Find your local council area
You can find your local government area here by entering your name and address to check your enrolment.
Do I have to vote?
No. Voting in council elections in Western Australia is not compulsory.
Who are you voting for?
You will vote for one or more of the councillors who will represent you in local government. You may also vote for the leader of your council, called the mayor or shire president, depending on your council but in other cases the counsellors you elect choose the leader.
In Western Australia, a council can be made up of between six to 15 councillors, depending on the number set by the individual local government. When you vote for the mayor directly, councillor numbers are limited to between five to 14.
In some cases, local governments may also be divided into wards, with councillors elected to represent the communities in the different wards.
Local government and other elections use the ‘first-past-the-post’ system. This means that electors indicate their preferred candidates, and the candidate with the most votes is elected. Where there are multiple vacancies, the candidate with the most votes is elected first, and the candidate with the second highest number of votes is elected second, and the process continues until all vacancies are filled.
How to vote
There are two types of local government elections:
At a postal election, electors are sent an election package which includes the ballot papers and may then vote at home and post the completed papers. At a voting in person election, electors may vote early or by post, but most choose in person on election day at a polling place within the district.
Postal elections
This is the most common form of election.
All eligible electors will receive a postal voting package two to three weeks prior to polling day, depending on the service delivery of Australia Post.
The package will include:
To vote, follow the instructions included in the package. Your postal voting package must be received before 18:00 on polling day.
If you do not think that your postal voting package can be returned by post in time, you can deliver it by hand to a polling official.
Voting in person elections
On polling day, you to designated voting centre to cast your vote. Polling places are open from 08:00 to 18:00. If you cannot attend a polling place on polling day, they can apply for an absent, early or postal vote.
To apply for postal voting papers, download and complete the form. For more information or to find a polling place, contact your local government.
Filling your ballot paper
Place a tick in the box opposite the names of the candidate you want to vote for.
You vote up to the number of vacancies to be filled but no more. If you tick fewer boxes than the number of vacancies the vote is still valid. If you tick more boxes than vacancies the vote will be invalid.
For example, if there are 15 vacancies and 20 candidates, tick up to 15 candidates but no more.
Where a person is a candidate for a mayoral or presidential vacancy and a councillor vacancy, the mayoral or presidential election is decided first. If the candidate is successful in the mayoral or presidential election, the candidate’s votes are not counted for the councillor election.
