Electoral Act amendments in time for 2026 state election
Thursday 2 April 2026
For immediate release
New timelines for party registration and an earlier close of roll are just some of the changes the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) is implementing for state elections, following legislative reforms passed by Parliament on Tuesday.
The changes will impact election timelines with the close of electoral roll now occurring on the same day a writ is issued – now even more reason for Victorians to keep their enrolment details up to date.
The close of all candidate nominations will align and happen earlier in the election timeline, with the new deadline now 6 days after issue of writs for general elections.
Under the reforms, the deadline to apply for registration as a political party is 60 days earlier, with registration now closing 180 days before a general election. For the 2026 state election this will be by Monday 1 June. This deadline will also apply to existing registered political parties to apply to change their names or logos.
Other changes include:
- changes to authorisation requirements for electoral material, including removing the printer detail requirement for printed electoral material except how-to-vote cards
- additional political party name and logo requirements to prevent certain misleading names or logos from being registered
- removal of the requirement to conduct a review of registered political parties after by-elections, supplementary elections and re-elections
- more flexibility for the VEC to appoint alternative voting centres during emergencies
- new mechanisms to recover funding from registered political parties that are about to be de-registered, and independent elected members who resign, die or join a registered political party.
Electoral Commissioner Sven Bluemmel said the VEC will now progress implementation to ensure the changes are delivered effectively ahead of the 2026 state election.
'With the legislation now passed, our focus turns to implementing the reforms in a way that supports participation, transparency and trust in the electoral system,' Mr Bluemmel said.
'We will continue working closely with all stakeholders to implement the reforms and support understanding, compliance and meaningful participation in our democracy.'
Background
Victoria's Electoral Act 2002 is the legislative framework for the services provided by the VEC. The Electoral Amendment Bill 2025 was passed in Parliament on 31 March 2026, resulting in reforms to the Act at key points in the election timeline as well as some procedural changes to how elections are delivered and regulated.