Council Elections

Close of Roll

4:00pm on Friday 7 August 2024.

Nominations Open

Thursday 09 September 2024.

Close of Nominations

12:00pm on 17 September 2024.

Mailout of Ballot Packs

Tuesday 7 October to Thursday 10 October 2024.

Close of Voting

6:00pm on Friday 25 October 2024 (postal ballots must be in the mail by this time for your vote to be counted).

Election Day

Saturday 26 October 2024 (no in-person voting).

Election to be declared by no later than Friday 15 November 2024.

MAV Stand for Council program

Council is partnering with the MAV in delivering the Stand for Council program to run information sessions for the community and prospective candidates for the 2024 council elections. You can attend these sessions either in-person or online and by attending one of these sessions, participants will be provided with information about:

• Local government and the important role councils play for our local communities
• The role and responsibility of a Councillor, Mayor, Deputy Mayor and CEO
• The election process and candidate requirements
• What newly elected councillors can expect soon after the elections
• Councillor training and development opportunities

The sessions will be held at various metropolitan and non-metropolitan locations across Victoria, with interested participants able to register to attend more than one session, including outside of their municipality. Please note that you will not be able to attend a session without registration. Click to register to attend a session here.

To support and encourage a range of diverse candidates the MAV will also be hosting a number of additional sessions for women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, people with disabilities, youth, culturally and linguistically diverse and LGBTIQA+ communities.

Please note: These sessions are not the Local Government Compulsory Candidate Training. For more information about this please visit the Local Government Victoria Website

Council elections are conducted by the Victorian Electoral Commission and more information is available on www.vec.vic.gov.au

The rules for council-enrolled voters have changed.

What has changed?

In previous elections:

• property owners who didn't live in the area would be automatically enrolled - now you must apply if you want to vote in the 2024 and future local council elections and by-elections
• it was not compulsory to vote - now you must vote if you are on the roll or you may get a fine. 

All council elections are conducted by the VEC and are conducted by postal vote.

If you are an Australian citizen who lives in Victoria you can check your enrolment details online at Check my details | Victorian Electoral Commission (vec.vic.gov.au) at any time.

Know the rules around council enrolment for the 2024 Victorian local council elections here.

Enrol to vote online at www.vec.gov.au or contact the Victorian Electoral Commission on 13 18 32.

Forms are also available from the post office.

The following enrolment forms are made available here for easy access for those who wish to apply to be a council-enrolled voter:

Owner Ratepayer- ongoing - Application for enrolment - Sect 242(1)(PDF, 64KB)

This form can be used by owners of rateable property in the municipality to apply for enrolment on the council voters' roll.Also, to be used by owner ratepayers who were not entitled to vote at the last Council election in 2020, or by owner ratepayers who have moved out of the municipality since the 2020 election.

Corporation owner or occupier - Appointment of voting representative-Sect 245(1) and (2)(PDF, 71KB)

To be used where the rateable property in the municipality is owned or occupied by a corporation. This form allows for the appointment of either the company secretary or director to vote in the council election on behalf of the corporation.

Occupier Ratepayer-Application for enrolment - Sect 244 (1) and (3)(PDF, 66KB)

To be used where the rateable property is occupied by an individual who is responsible for payment of the rates (not an owner). The occupier must not be enrolled as a resident of the municipality on the State electoral roll.

Southern Grampians Shire Council elections are conducted by postal voting by the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC). In the lead up to the 2024 general election, all voting information can be found on the VEC websitehttps://vec.vic.gov.au/

Victorian Local Governance Association is running the following free sessions:

Standing for Local Government
Friday 17 May at 12pm - 1.30pm
Online via Zoom
Sign up here

Local Women Leading Change
Friday 24 May at 12pm - 1.30pm
Online via Zoom
Sign up here

In-person session:

Date: Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Great South Coast Barwon: (includes following Councils: Geelong, Queenscliffe, Surf Coast, Golden Plains, Colac Otway, Corangamite, Glenelg, Moyne, Southern Grampians, Warrnambool)
Host Council: Greater Geelong City Council
Location: City Hall, 27 Little Malop St, Geelong VIC 3220
Room: Council Conference and Reception Centre
Phone: 03 5272 5272
In-person check in: 6:00pm – 6:30pm
Session Time: 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Register Here

This year Council elections will be held on 26 October 2024. There is an Election Period (more commonly known as a caretaker period) in the lead up to the election, during which Councillors and Council officers are subject to a variety of restrictions in relation to decision-making, information provision, media and publications.

The Act states that the election period starts on the last day of nominations and ends at 6:00pm on the Election Day. For the 2024 Council election, the election period will be from midday 17 September to 6:00pm Saturday 26 October 2024.

What is the purpose of the Election Period (Caretaker)?

A caretaker period: 

• The primary focus of these restrictions is to ensure that there is no connection between Council resources or staff and any election activities undertaken by any candidates in the election.
• This is to ensure that the Council election is conducted in an environment that is fair to all candidates.

How is Council activity impacted during the Election Period (Caretaker)?

During the election period: 

• Councils are prohibited from making significant decisions.
• Material produced by councils must not contain matter that will affect voting at the election.

For further information, please read Council’s Election Period Policy(PDF, 189KB).