Complaints about elections

The VEC has a robust customer feedback and complaints process for receiving and responding to all feedback and complaints. Feedback and complaints must be made in writing directly to the Election Manager or to the VEC’s Customer Feedback and Complaints team either in writing or via the online submission tool available on the VEC website.

Any feedback or complaint made in writing will be reviewed by the VEC. If the feedback or complaint:

• alleges an offence against the Act, it will be referred to the relevant enforcement agency (i.e. Local Government Inspectorate or, if the alleged offence was committed by a current councillor, IBAC)
• alleges a breach of local laws, it will be referred to the Chief Executive Officer of the relevant council
• alleges a criminal offence, it will be referred to Victoria Police
• relates to the administration of the election, including the actions and behaviours of Election Managers or their staff, it will be referred to the Electoral Commissioner or another authorised person for investigation and response.

Complaints about the election are also handled by the Local Government Inspectorate.

You can raise concerns about of any of the following using the complaint form on their website:

• The content, authorisation or distribution of election material;
• Whether a candidate is eligible to run for election;
• A current Councillor is improperly using their position or Council resources for their election campaign;
• Someone has tampered with, forged, stolen or interfered with ballot papers;
• Someone tried to bribe, intimidate or otherwise improperly influence another person in order to get their vote or support;
• Someone has misused the voters' roll;
• Someone tried to bribe, intimidate or otherwise improperly influence another person in order to get them to run as a candidate;
• Someone has done something they should not be doing at or near a voting centre, such as canvassing for votes.