Elections

This year’s council elections are an opportunity for Victorians to elect the candidates who they think best represent, at the local level, their vision and interests for a better, stronger and more sustainable future.

Important Dates:

• Tuesday 20 August - Candidate Helper available
• Monday 9 September - Nominations open at 9 am
• Tuesday 17 September - Nominations, candidate statements, photographs, and questionnaires close at 12 noon
• Wednesday 18 September - Ballot draw

Useful links:

The Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) Citizen to Councillor Guide

For more information visit the MAV website

View the local council candidate handbook through the VEC website

State-enrolled voters are usually enrolled for State and Federal elections, are Australian citizens and enroll at the place where they live.

You must enroll and vote if you:

• Are 18 years or older;
• Are an Australian citizen; and
• Have lived at your address in Towong Shire for longer than one month.

For more information visit the VEC website

Council-enrolled voters are those who own property and who are not registered as a state-enrolled voter in that council. Examples include owners of holiday homes, businesses, or investment properties. Someone who owns the home they live in but is not an Australian citizen can also be a council-enrolled voter.

Ratepayers can apply to become council-enrolled voters in Towong Shire Council if they are:

• a property owner, occupier or represent a corporation
• 18 or older
• not a State-enrolled voter within the Towong Shire Council area.

These are known as council-enrolled voters.

The rules for council-enrolled voters have changed ahead of the 2024 council elections. These changes are explained below.

Owner ratepayers

You can apply to enroll in Towong Shire Council if you:

• own property and pay rates in the council area
• are 18 or older
• are not a state-enrolled voter who lives in Towong Shire Council.

This includes:

• Australian citizens who own a property in Towong Shire Council but do not live in the area (for example an investment or a holiday home)
• non-citizens over 18 who own a property and live in Towong Shire Council.

Up to 2 ratepayers can apply to enroll per property, but each person only gets one vote.

Occupier ratepayers

You can apply to enroll in Towong Shire Council if you:

• pay rates for a property that you occupy but do not own
• are 18 or older
• are not a state-enrolled voter.

Up to 2 people per property can apply to enroll, but each person only gets one vote.

Corporations

You can apply to enroll to vote on behalf of a corporation if you:

• are a director or company secretary of a corporation that pays rates (either as an owner or an occupier) in the council area
• have consented to being appointed as the corporation’s representative
• are not already a state-enrolled voter or council-enrolled voter for the same council.

Only one person can apply to enroll as the corporation’s representative.

If you don’t want to vote for that property anymore, you can apply to resign your enrolment.

Occupier ratepayers’ and corporations’ enrolment expires before the next local government general election.

If you want to continue to vote, you must apply to enroll again before the next local council general election (2028).

Towong Shire Council will send you an invitation when it is time to renew your enrolment.

Owner ratepayers’ enrolment does not expire, but they can apply to resign their enrolment.

By-elections before October 2024

If you were a council-enrolled voter in Towong Shire Council at the 2020 local council general elections and your circumstances haven’t changed, you will be automatically enrolled for any by-elections that take place before October 2024. It is not compulsory for you to vote.

If you weren’t a council-enrolled voter in Towong Shire Council at the 2020 local council general elections, or your circumstances have changed, you can apply to enroll at any by-elections that take place before October 2024. It is not compulsory for you to vote.

If you want to vote in the next local council general election in October 2024, you will need to apply to enroll again.

By-elections after October 2024

If you apply to enroll for the local council elections in 2024, you will remain enrolled for any council by-elections up until 2028. It will be compulsory for you to vote.

About

• Councils must comply with special arrangements in the lead up to elections, known as the caretaker period. This is in accordance with the Local Government Act.
• The Act states that the election period starts on the last day on which nominations for the election can be received and finishes at 6pm on the election day.
• For the 2024 Council election, this means the election period will be from 12 Noon Tuesday September 17 until 6pm Saturday 26 October 2024.

The purpose of a caretaker period

A caretaker period:

• ensures that council actions don't interfere with the election process, and the election process is conducted in an ethical, fair and equitable way.
• safeguards the authority of the incoming council.

Council activity during the election period

During the election period:

• councils are prohibited from making certain types of decisions
• material produced by councils must not contain matter that will affect voting at the election.