Council general elections are held every four years and the next election will be on 24 October 2020.
The election will be administered by the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) and will be conducted by postal voting.
Key dates in the election timeline
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Date
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Event
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28 August
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Entitlement date
People must be on the State or local council roll by 4.00pm to be eligible to vote at the election.
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22 September
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Close of nominations
Anyone wishing to stand as a candidate must be nominated by 12 noon.
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6 - 8 October
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Ballot packs are distributed
Ballot packs are distributed by post to every enrolled person in a random order over three days.
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23 October
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Close of voting
Ballot papers must be in the mail or in the hands of the Returning Officer by 6.00 pm.
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The electoral roll for a Council election is made up of two parts:
- State enrolled voters and
- Council enrolled voters.
Under the Local Government Act 1989, you must vote for your main place of residence (State enrolment) and can choose to vote for property you own in another municipality (council enrolment).
You are only entitled to one vote in any single municipality, so if you own multiple properties in Yarra Ranges, for example, you still only vote once.
When you enrol for State and Federal elections, you are automatically enrolled on the Council roll for the municipality in which you live, as this is your main place of residence.
Council voters are automatically enrolled if they own property in a municipality, live in another municipality, and are the first or second-named ratepayer for that property.
Multiple property owners are entitled to vote for only one property in a municipality; the property is determined by Council unless application is made to Council to specify a particular property.
You can enrol, check or update your details online using the VEC’s website.
If you are not automatically enrolled, you can apply to enrol at Council elections if you:
- are not an Australian citizen but are a resident ratepayer in the municipality; or
- pay Council rates on a property you occupy and have no other voting entitlement in the municipality. You must either be receiving the rates notice or have the written consent of the owner to vote in their place; or
- are a director or company secretary of a corporation that pays rates to Council and you have no other voting entitlement within the municipality.
To enrol for Council elections under these circumstances, please contact us by email at elections@yarraranges.vic.gov.au
Council has adopted its Election Period Policy to provide guidance to Councillors, staff and candidates, both in the lead up to and during the election period.
The election period begins on 22 September and runs to 6pm on Saturday 24 October 2020.'
The results of previous elections to Yarra Ranges Council can be viewed on the VEC’s website.