Record number of candidates nominate for council elections
MORE than 2100 people are running in this year’s local government elections.
Nominations were open for six days and closed at noon today.
The Victorian Electoral Commission said a record 2135 candidates in total had nominated for the council elections, up from the 2004 people who put their hands up in 2012 and the 1975 people who contested in 2008.
Candidates will be vying for one of 637 councillor vacancies across 78 councils.
Wyndham Council has the highest number of nominees - a whopping 95 - including 41 people vying for just four vacancies in Harrison ward.
Casey Council followed with 84 candidates for just 11 councillor positions.
Meanwhile, Brimbank Council will see the return of democratically elected councillors for the first time since 2009, and 67 people are in the running this year.
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At the close of nominations 38 of the 260 individual elections were uncontested, meaning the number of candidates was equal to the number of vacancies.
Voters in these uncontested wards will not be required to vote.
Six councils will hold attendance elections on Saturday, October 22 — Banyule, Greater Dandenong, Knox, Moreland, Port Phillip and Yarra.
People who live in attendance voting areas who want to apply for a postal vote must do so through the Victorian Electoral Commission website.
Voters in the remaining councils and shires will have ballot packs mailed to them sometime after October 4, and must post or hand-deliver their ballot to the election office by 6pm on Friday, October 21.
In Melbourne City Council, there are seven teams competing for the Leadership Team of Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor (compared with nine in 2012) and 44 nominations for the nine councillor positions.
To find out who has nominated in your area visit the Victorian Electoral Commission website.