How to vote: Local council elections

Local council elections are held every four years on the fourth Saturday in October.

The next council elections will be held on Saturday, 24 October 2020.

Who am I electing?

At local council elections, you elect people to represent your local municipality. The number of councillors you elect and the municipality's electoral structure are determined by the Minister for Local Government.

Each municipality in Victoria must have a council consisting of between 5 and 12 councillors. For most municipalities, once the required number of councillors has been elected, these councillors decide which one of them will act as mayor.

Voters in the City of Melbourne (external link) also elect a Leadership Team consisting of the Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor.

Voters in the City of Greater Geelong (external link) also directly elect the Mayor.

How do I vote in a local council election?

Local council elections can be conducted by postal voting or attendance voting. Each council chooses the method that will be used. In most cases, councils use postal voting. The method of voting is noted in all advertising and will be clearly identified on this website as early as possible.

To vote correctly in a council election you must number every box on the ballot paper in the order of your choice. This is because council elections use the full preferential voting.

Because the City of Melbourne must elect both a leadership team as well as regular councillors, two ballot papers are used. The leadership team is elected using the full preferential voting system. The remaining councillor positions are determined using above or below the line voting.

If you choose to vote above the line, you must only place a 1 in the box above the group you want to support. When voting above the line your ballot paper will be counted using preferences determined by the group you have selected.
If you choose to vote below the line, you must place a 1 against your most preferred candidate and then number all the other boxes below the line according to your preference.

Can I vote for multiple properties?

At a council election, you can only vote once per municipality. That is, if you pay rates on two properties in the same municipality, you can only vote once.

If you pay rates on two properties in the same municipality, and one is your home, then you would vote for that address.

If you are the first-named or second-named owner of property in a municipality other than the one that you live in, you are automatically entitled to be on the voters roll for the ward in which the property is situated.

Multiple property owners are entitled to vote for only one property in a municipality; the property is determined by the council (generally based on capital improved value) unless you nominate a particular property before entitlement day.

Who are my local councillors?

Details about currently elected councillors can be accessed through individual council profiles.

What is the timeline for a local election?

Time	Event
57 days before election day	Entitlement date People must be on the State or local council roll by this date to be eligible to vote at the election.
32 days before election day	Close of nominations Anyone wishing to stand as a candidate must be nominated by 12 noon, 32 days before election day.
17-19 days before election day	Ballot packs are distributed (postal elections) Ballot packs are distributed via post to every enrolled person in a random order over three days. No more than 35% of the ballot packs can be distributed on any one day.
1 day before election day	Close of voting (postal elections) In postal elections, ballot papers must be received by the VEC by 6pm on the day before election day.
Election day	In attendance elections, voters cast their votes on this day. This day must be the fourth Saturday in October.