If you will be unable to attend a voting centre on a specific election day, we encourage you to vote early at an early voting centre. In some cases you may also be unable to vote early, so you should apply for a postal vote.
To vote via post for a State election or by-election, you must lodge an application for a postal vote after the issuing of the writ (25 days before election day). To vote via post for an attendance local council election, you must lodge an application for a postal vote after nominations have closed.
Your application must be received and processed in time to send your ballot pack by return post.
The appropriate form to apply for a postal vote is available online prior to major electoral events.
General postal voters are people who always vote via post. They are automatically sent their ballot pack for every election, and need to complete and mail it before election day.
To become a general postal voter you must:
- live 20km from a voting centre;
- be seriously ill or infirm, or caring for someone who is;
- be 70 or more years old;
- be in prison (but still on the electoral roll);
- be a silent elector; or
- be unable to attend on election day for religious reasons.
The application form to register as a general postal voter is available on our
forms page. Applications to register as a general postal voter must be received by the close of rolls.
People who register as general postal voters on grounds of age will not automatically receive a ballot pack for Federal elections.
Local council elections can be conducted by postal voting or attendance voting. Each council chooses its preferred method before each election. For local council postal elections, the VEC will automatically post ballot packs to each voter after nominations have closed. You do not need to register as a postal voter.
If you need help to physically complete State or local council election material, you can ask someone else to complete it on your behalf. That person may need to sign the declaration envelope stating that they are an authorised signatory.
If you are vision-impaired, staff at Victorian Vision Australia centres (external link) can also provide you with equipment to assist in reading voter information and completing ballot papers.
