Catherine: Welcome to our election information session for the 2026 Victorian state elections. I’d like to introduce myself. I’m Catherine, Manager of Candidate Services. And today I’m joined by Anne-Maree, Nominations Lead.

Anne-Maree: Thanks, Catherine. And thanks everyone for joining us.

Catherine: Firstly, we would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands we are meeting on today, the Wurundjeri people. We pay our respects to elders past and present, and any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here today.

Catherine: In today’s information session, we’ll cover some of the key processes, obligations and information relevant to candidates, political parties and others supporting them as we approach the 2026 state election.

Catherine: Standing as a candidate to represent your community in the Victorian Parliament is a considerable undertaking and comes with certain obligations and deadlines you must be aware of. We’ll first provide an overview of the election and then an in-depth look into the nomination process.

Ann-Maree: We will post a recording of today’s webinar on the VEC website and our YouTube channel, so you can look back at it if you need a refresher. For those watching live, feel free to use the question and answer function by clicking the Q&A button, and we’ll answer your questions at the end. If you’re having trouble with the Q&A function, you can email your questions to candidateservices@vec.vic.gov.au.

Ann-Maree: If you have any broader questions about the VEC state election operation, head to the VEC’s website at vec.vic.gov.au where you can find the draft election service plan. Please be aware that the electoral legislation has recently changed following the passing of the Electoral Amendment Bill 2025. We have updated the information in these sessions and on our website to identify any important changes, and we are monitoring for any other major changes to the laws governing elections or election planning. So let’s look at the timeline of events for the upcoming state election.

Catherine: The 2026 Victorian state election will be held on Saturday the 28th of November. The timeline is fixed by the Electoral Act and contains strict deadlines for prospective candidates and registered political parties, or RPPs, looking to endorse candidates. We cannot accept nominations, group registrations, group voting tickets and how-to-vote cards outside of the prescribed time frames, so please keep these dates in mind to avoid missing out or potential penalties. Election offices will open to the public from Tuesday the 3rd of November, with the writs for the election issued at 6pm that evening.

Ann-Maree: Nominations open at 9am the following day, Wednesday the 4th of November. Before you begin the nomination process, confirm your eligibility to stand as a candidate by checking the eligibility criteria list on the VEC website and in the Candidate Handbook. You should also check your enrolment on the VEC website to confirm your details are up to date.

Ann-Maree: If your details are not up to date, it may be too late to change them when it comes time to nominate. You can update your details on the VEC website before the close of the electoral roll at 8pm on Tuesday, the 3rd of November. Nominations close on 12 noon on Monday, the 9th of November for both RPPs and independent candidates. For RPPs and groups of two or more independent candidates, this is also a deadline to register a group in the Legislative Council Region Election.

Ann-Maree: Ballot draw will take place shortly after the close of nomination. Following the ballot draw, registered groups for Legislative Council region elections must lodge at least one group voting ticket by 12 noon on Wednesday the 11th of November. Penalties apply for failing to lodge at least one group voting ticket.

Catherine: If you wish to apply to register a how-to-vote card, the registration period will open on Tuesday the 10th of November and close at 12 noon on Friday the 20th of November.

Catherine: Mobile voting starts from Tuesday the 17th of November, including our low sensory mobile voting option in each district, and early voting and telephone assisted voting will begin from the following day on Wednesday the 18th of November. Voters wishing to vote by post for this election have until 6pm on Wednesday the 25th of November to submit a postal vote application. Voters who are registered as a general postal voter will be automatically sent a postal vote.

Catherine: Operating hours for early voting centres have been changed for this election. All early voting centres will be open from 9am until 8pm daily, only closed on the Sunday during the early voting period. Early voting centres close at 6pm on the final day of early voting, Friday, the 27th of November. Election Day is Saturday, the 28th of November, with voting open from 8am to 6pm. The deadline for the VEC to receive completed postal votes through the mail is 6pm on Friday, the 4th of December.

Ann-Maree: We will declare the results of all elections on or before Saturday the 19th of December. The schedule for each declaration will depend on the count plan for the district or region election and whether any recounts are needed. You’ll be able to view the full election timeline on our website and in the Candidate Handbook closer to the election.

Catherine: To help you through the election process, make use of the resources on the VEC website and through the Election Office. If you have been a candidate previously, be sure to download the latest version of the material to stay up to date as legislation and VEC processes can change. There are three important resources we want to bring to your attention today to help you: Candidate Handbooks, the VEC website, and Candidate Helper.

Catherine: The state election candidate handbook is a key source of information, covering everything you need to know about being a candidate and outlining the election requirements that directly relate to candidates and political parties.

Ann-Maree: In addition, a scrutineer handbook is available that covers the role of scrutineers, which activities they can attend, and the process of appointing them. It will be extremely useful for you and your scrutineers should you choose to appoint any. Scrutineer handbooks for recent elections are available on the VEC website and can be a good place to start.

Ann-Maree: This year, we’re also launching a campaigner handbook, which will guide and support campaigners outside voting centres. This handbook will include the requirements for campaigning, signage limits and restrictions, expectations for campaigners, and escalation processes for raising issues with the VEC. This is a new product, and we’re developing it with the input and feedback from electoral participants and registered political parties. A full suite of new and published handbooks for the 2026 state election is expected to be published in August, but you can view previous versions at any time on the VEC website. Please note that the information is subject to change, and remember to check back on the VEC website for the updated versions when available.

Catherine: The VEC website will be your source of truth in relation to the election and election operations. It’s where you can find electoral boundary maps, enrolment statistics and other resources for candidates, parties and voters. A candidate kit containing reference materials and the necessary forms for you, your campaigners, and your scrutineers will also be available from the website two weeks before the nomination period begins.

Ann-Maree: For independent candidates, Candidate Helper is the online portal available from the How to Nominate page of our website ahead of the opening of nominations. You can use Candidate Helper to prepare and print your nomination form. It will make completing your nomination form easier and it will save you time at your nomination appointment. But please note Candidate Helper is used to prepare your nomination form—you still need to attend an appointment at the relevant election office to lodge your completed nomination form.

Catherine: For independent candidates, your key point of contact with the VEC will be your election manager once election offices open on Tuesday the 3rd of November. If you have any questions or any concerns during the election timeline, please raise them with the relevant election manager. Outside of the election timeline, you can contact our Candidate Services team on 03 8620 1316 or by email to candidateservices@vec.vic.gov.au.

Ann-Maree: As candidates and representatives of political parties, you need to be aware of the legislative requirements around topics not covered in this session, such as political donations and disclosures, annual returns, electoral campaign material and how-to-vote cards, campaigners and scrutineers, election compliance and feedback, and complaints. Later in the webinars, we’ll cover some of these key topics in detail should you wish to attend. However, all the information is also available on our website and in the suite of candidate handbooks.

Catherine: Now we will move on to the focus of today’s session, how to nominate. As we go, remember you can use the Q&A function if you have any questions. Today we are covering eligibility, how to nominate if you’re a party-endorsed candidate, how to nominate if you’re an independent candidate, including everything you need to prepare for your nomination appointment, the ballot draw, and how to access electoral roll products.

Ann-Maree: Keep in mind that you are not officially a candidate in the election until you have lodged your nomination form in person and pay the deposit.

Catherine: Before you begin the nomination process, you should confirm your eligibility to stand as a candidate by checking the eligibility criteria listed on our website and in the Candidate Handbook. You are eligible to nominate as a candidate if, at the close of the roll, you are a Victorian resident, enrolled to vote in Victoria, and not disqualified from being a Member of Parliament. You cannot nominate if you are not enrolled, are a judge of a court in Victoria, are an undischarged bankrupt, or are a member of either House of the Commonwealth Parliament. You can stand for election but can’t take office without first resigning if you are a local government councillor, a Victorian public service employee, or an Australian public service employee. There are further disqualifications. If you’re not sure if you’re eligible to nominate, refer to the Candidate Handbook for more detail. You should also consider seeking independent legal advice.

Ann-Maree: Make sure your enrolment details are up to date before you begin the nomination process, especially if your name and address have changed in the last few years, as your enrolment details cannot be changed for this election after the close of roll. You can check your enrolment at the VEC website. It is your responsibility to make sure that you’re eligible to nominate as a candidate and hold office if you are elected. If you are ineligible and still lodge a nomination, you are committing an offence. So check your enrolment, confirm your eligibility and seek advice if unsure, either by contacting the Candidate Services team at the VEC or seeking independent legal advice. The VEC cannot provide you with advice on how the eligibility requirements apply to your individual circumstances. If you find out after you nominate that you’re no longer eligible, contact the election manager as soon as possible.

Catherine: The nominations process differs depending on whether you are running as an independent candidate or as a candidate endorsed by a registered political party. If you’re endorsed, you must complete part 2 of the nomination form for registered political party (RPP) candidates, and the registered officer of the party must lodge your nomination by appointment at VEC head office. For the 2026 state election, nominations open at 9 a.m. on Wednesday 4 November and close at 12 noon on Monday 9 November.

Ann-Maree: Nomination appointments with registered officers from registered political parties will take place at VEC head office at Level 11, 530 Collins Street, Melbourne. The VEC will reach out to registered officers with details on how to make nomination appointments. Only registered officers or deputy registered officers can lodge nominations on behalf of their party, and they must attend the appointment in person.

Catherine: For registered political parties, the easiest way to prepare nomination forms for endorsed candidates is to use the Endorsed Nominations tool to input each candidate’s details before attending the nomination appointment. Each candidate still needs to sign the declaration on part 2 of their own nomination form, and the registered officer must sign part 1 as well. We’re developing a new system for this election to make nominations for RPPs even smoother, and we’ll share instructions with registered political parties ahead of the nomination period. On screen is a step-by-step guide to the nomination process for independent candidates. We’ll go into each point in detail, but remember that your first step is to confirm your eligibility. As an independent candidate, you submit your nomination to the election manager of the district or region you are nominating for. You can prepare the nomination form online using our Candidate Helper tool, which is the fastest and easiest way to complete it, or you can pick up a hard copy from any election office across the state once they open in November. You will need to make an appointment to lodge your nomination with the election manager. If you are nominating for a region election, you can make an appointment with any election manager for a district election within that region. It is a good idea to make an appointment early in the nomination period to discuss any questions you have and to ensure there’s time to resolve any issues with your nomination forms.

Ann-Maree: You can book your nomination appointment by calling the VEC candidate services team on 03 8620 1316 before nominations open or directly with the election office on the first day of the nomination period. Phone numbers for the election office will be listed on the VEC website. You cannot submit your nomination form online or by email.

Catherine: Independent candidates must get support from nominators for the electorate they wish to nominate in. As part of your nomination form, you must collect the full name, enrolment address, date of birth, and signatures of at least six people if you are nominating for a district election, or at least 50 people if you are nominating for a region election. These people must be enrolled in the district or region in which you are nominating.

Ann-Maree: You should provide more than the required number of nominators in case any are found to be enrolled in a different electorate or not enrolled when checks are performed during the nomination appointment. If you use Candidate Helper, you can print a copy of the form to fill out as part of your nomination form, or pick up a copy from the VEC website or any election office.

Catherine: We encourage you to use Candidate Helper to prepare your nomination form, as it guides you through each part and makes it easier to prepare. Candidate Helper will be available on the VEC website shortly before nominations open. You do not need to complete your form in one session — you can save it and come back later. Using Candidate Helper means your information can be loaded into our election management system automatically at your nomination appointment, so you won’t have to wait for the election manager to manually type it in. Once you have entered all your details, you can save your information and generate a pre-completed nomination form to print. You must print your forms before your nomination appointment, as you won’t be able to use printers at the election office. You can call the Candidate Services team if you need any assistance.

Ann-Maree: Using Candidate Helper to prepare your nomination does not submit or approve your nomination, you must still attend an appointment with the election manager at the relevant election office with your completed nomination form and nomination deposit – unless you’ve authorised another person to attend the appointment or you’re nominating by post. Candidate Helper does not check your enrolment or verify your eligibility to nominate. If you’re a silent elector, you will still be required to provide your enrolled address on your nomination form.

Catherine: On the nomination form, you will confirm how your name will appear on the ballot paper. If your name does not meet the requirements, we will ask you to amend your ballot paper name, which may delay processing. Your family name must match the electoral roll exactly, but you may use an acceptable alternative to your full given name that appears on the roll. Acceptable alternatives include your middle name or a second given name, an initial for any of your given names, a commonly accepted variation (including abbreviations), or a name you are commonly known by. If you go by a name that is not your legal name on the roll, you must provide evidence with your nomination form that confirms you are known by that name in the community. If the evidence is not satisfactory, you may be required to use your enrolled name on the ballot paper. Further guidelines for ballot paper names can be found in the Candidate Handbook. Acceptable evidence may include a business card or ID card, a work email address, a news publication, or a utility bill. Social media profiles or posts are not sufficient evidence to demonstrate that you are known by a different name. Remember to check your enrolment details before nominating to ensure your name on the roll is up to date. If you need to update your details on the roll, you must do so before the close of roll in November.

Ann-Maree: You must provide an email address and at least one phone number for the VEC to contact you regarding your nomination and to send important election updates. Please provide contact details that you will use even after the election has concluded. These details will only be used for official purposes, will not be publicly available, and will be passed on to the Department of Parliamentary Services if you are elected so they can arrange your onboarding as a Member of Parliament.

Catherine: You will also be required to provide details of a public contact person on behalf of your campaign. This can be you or another person. These details will be displayed at the election office and published on the VEC website, accessible to the public. It is important that the contact person is aware their details will be publicly available, and once published it’s not possible to make changes.

Ann-Maree: You must also provide a contact person for complaints or inquiries about your election signs — this can be you or another person, including the same person as your public contact. These details will not be published but will be used for official purposes, including at short notice. An email address and at least one phone number must be provided, and this contact person must be available and ready to respond during busy periods, including at short notice and outside business hours.

Catherine: Make sure you have everything ready for your nomination appointment. You’ll need your completed hard copy nomination form, the details of your nominators (six people for a district election or 50 for a region election), and your nomination deposit of $350 cash. The nomination deposit must be paid by cash — we cannot accept personal cheques, card payments, EFTPOS, or money orders. Election offices will open and be ready to take appointment bookings from 9 a.m. on Wednesday 4 November. For the 2026 state election nominations will close at 12 noon on Monday 9 November 2026. Don’t leave your appointment until the last day in case there are errors with your forms that need to be fixed before the close of nominations.

Ann-Maree: If you are unable to lodge a nomination in person, contact Candidate Services or the election manager to discuss other options. It is your responsibility to ensure your nomination form is received by the election manager before the deadline. Late nominations cannot be accepted.

Catherine: When you arrive at the election office for your appointment, a staff member or the election manager will check that you have completed your nomination form and brought the nomination deposit. If there are issues with missing or incorrect information, the election manager will discuss this with you, and you must initial any changes you make. The election manager will then send your nomination form to VEC head office, where staff will confirm the details of your nominators against the electoral roll and advise the election manager once complete. This can take some time depending on the number of nominations being processed across Victoria, so you may need to wait.

Ann-Maree: When your nominators have been confirmed, the election manager will enter your nomination information into the election management system. VEC head office staff will conduct further checks, and if any issues are identified, the election manager will contact you to resolve them. Following the close of nominations, the election manager will conduct the ballot draw.

Catherine: The order of each candidate and group on the ballot papers is determined by a computerised random draw after nominations close. For district elections, the ballot draw is a single computerised random draw. For region elections, the ballot draw may be drawn in up to three parts to determine the order of groups above the line, the order of candidates within a group (if the group did not specify an order), and then the order of ungrouped candidates. The ballot draw is a public event and anyone can attend, including candidates. After the ballot draw, the VEC website will be updated to show candidate names in ballot paper order. The random computerised draw has been independently audited, and in rare cases such as a technology outage, a manual draw might be necessary. For more information, and to view the code used for our randomised computer draw, please see the VEC website.

Ann-Maree: After the ballot draw, the election manager will provide you with a sample how-to-vote card showing candidates’ names as they will appear on the ballot paper. Please pay close attention to the order, spelling and format of names on the ballot paper, as errors on how-to-vote cards may result in applications to register them being rejected. For registered groups and registered political parties, group voting ticket templates for each region election will also be sent via email.

Catherine: For independent candidates, once you are nominated, you will be able to request access to roll information for the district or region election that you are contesting. You are only permitted to use roll data for purposes connected to the election campaign or monitoring the accuracy of information on the roll. It is your responsibility to protect enrolment information in your possession and destroy it, and any copies, after your campaign. Permitted uses include sending electoral campaign material, door-knocking campaigns, or mail-merging letters. Please note we do not provide email addresses, phone numbers, or details of silent electors as part of this information, and misuse of roll data is a serious offence with strict penalties.

Ann-Maree: Registered political parties are entitled to receive enrolment data for the State of Victoria if you are an endorsed candidate — contact your party in the first instance. We use a secure data exchange portal called DEX to provide enrolment information to registered political parties and candidates. Roll products will be uploaded to DEX as soon as possible after the close of nominations, and those who have requested roll products will receive an email notification when they are available. Registered officers for registered political parties are entitled to receive a file containing a copy of the electoral roll for all districts. Candidates who request a roll receive a single CSV file that can be opened in Microsoft Excel. Candidates may also access postal vote application data by completing the confidentiality agreement form, which you can submit as part of your nomination appointment. Like other roll products, this will only contain names and addresses of postal applicants, not phone or email contact information.

Catherine: And that concludes the deep dive into the nomination process. If you have any questions about becoming a candidate, please use the Q&A function now. If you’re having any trouble with the Q&A function, you can also email your questions to candidateservices@vec.vic.gov.au. For any questions that come through that relate to individual circumstances, or are technical in nature, we may take them on notice and get back to you directly in the coming days. We’ll start with the questions submitted ahead of time.

Ann-Maree: Catherine, we’ve got some questions already up. Someone’s asked: can I pay the nomination fee by bank cheque?

Catherine: Yes, currently you can pay by bank cheque, but cash is preferred. There’s a cost at most banks to issue a bank cheque, so for $350 it’s usually a bit easier. But yes, bank cheque is allowed.

Ann-Maree: How do independent candidates get access to the roll?

Catherine: Independent candidates will also get access to the roll through DEX, our secure data exchange, they will be contacted after the close of nominations if they filled out an access to the roll request form and put down the same email address that they used during the nomination appointment. Please make sure that you’re accessing your nomination appointment email. You’ll receive instructions on how to access DEX through a candidate bulletin and you’ll have to sign an agreement around confidentiality material but then you’ll be able to download the files directly from DEX.

Ann-Maree: Next question (voting centres): when can candidates get a list of where the voting centres are?

Catherine: Voting centres will be provided to candidates through a candidate bulletin — the first one will go out immediately after the close of nominations. We also have a statewide voting centre locator, which is part of our interactive map on the website.

Ann-Maree: Next question: do I have to make a how-to-vote card?

Catherine: How-to-vote cards are not compulsory, so you don’t have to register one. But they are the only form of electoral campaign material that can be handed out within 100 metres of voting centres on election day. So it’s in your best interests to register a card. Let voters know who you are and why they should vote for you, so you have something to hand out if you’re campaigning outside voting centres on election day.

Ann-Maree: When it comes to providing evidence of alternative names, can this be provided ahead of the nomination period for review by the VEC in case the evidence isn’t sufficient or another type is required?

Catherine: That’s a great question. Absolutely. You can send through evidence to candidateservices@vec.vic.gov.au and we’ll take a look at it. We’ll give you some advice as to whether it would be sufficient, but you will still have to provide that with your nomination form in November.

Catherine: Alright, it looks like that’s all we have for today. Thanks everyone for your questions. Just some closing remarks before we wrap up this evening. Here are some key dates on the screen once again. Topics not covered in today’s information session that you should also be aware of are your funding and disclosure obligations and the rules around electoral campaign material — be sure to familiarise yourself with these topics using the information available on the VEC website and in the Candidate Handbook. We also have some further webinars coming up which will cover these. If this briefing has raised any questions that we have not covered, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us anytime or contact your election manager from Tuesday the 3rd of November when election offices open. And join us for additional deep dives into topics specific to candidates and parties at later webinars. You can view the information session schedule and register on the VEC website. Thank you again for joining us today.

Zara: Now we will move on to the focus of today’s session, How-to-vote cards for District elections. As we go, remember to use the Q&A function if you have any questions.

Zara: In this portion of the webinar, we’ll do a deep dive in How-to-vote cards (also called HTVCs) for Legislative Assembly elections.

Today we’re covering:

the different types of How-to-vote cards;

- how to submit your How-to-vote card for registration

- the authorisation and endorsement requirements

- ensuring your HTVC (How-to-vote card) is compliant

- what happens after HTVC registration

- and the rules around distributing your How-to-vote card.

Zara: How-to-vote cards are a specific type of electoral campaign material that along with the rules for all electoral campaign material are also bound by legislation covering how they can be distributed on Election Day outside of voting centres.

Zara: You are likely familiar with How-to-vote cards from participating in previous elections. A How-to-vote card is electoral material that includes a representation of a ballot paper, including partial or purported partial representations, or lists the names of candidates for an election with a number indicating an order of voting preference against the names of any or all those candidates.

Riley: If you intend to distribute How-to-vote cards on Election Day outside voting centres, you must apply to have them registered by the Victorian Electoral Commission. Registered How-to-vote cards are the only electoral campaign material that can be distributed within 400 metres of a voting centre on Election Day.

Zara: There are three types of How-to-vote cards:

A single How-to-vote card contains voting instructions for one electoral district or region. Any person or group can submit a single how to vote card. That includes candidates, registered political parties, interest groups and individuals.

A combined How-to-vote card contains voting instructions for one or more electoral districts or regions for which the registered political party has endorsed a candidate.

A multiple How-to-vote card contains voting instructions for every electoral district and/or region for which the registered political party has an endorsed candidate. Only a registered political party can submit a combined or a multiple How-to-vote card.

Zara: Registration for How-to-vote cards will open on Tuesday, the 10th of November and close at 12 noon on Friday, the 20th of November.

Zara: For registered political parties, we ask registered officers to book an appointment to submit their How-to-vote cards for registration at the VEC head office.

Zara: You should review the requirements of how-to-vote card submission prior to your appointment and ensure your How-to-vote cards are compliant, because if your How-to-vote card does not meet the requirement for registration, your application will be refused.

These requirements are explained in detail in the Candidate Handbook, with an applications checklist.

Zara: If your application is refused, we’ll provide the grounds for refusal and you may submit a new How-to-vote card application with the issues corrected. However, this can be time consuming and will delay the registration process, so please check your How-to-vote cards carefully for small things like spelling of candidates’ names, spelling of Victorian Electoral Commission, and that the authorisation statement is correct.

Zara: If you submit your How-to-vote card on the last day for submission and your How-to-vote card is refused, you will not be able to submit a new application once the registration period has closed.

Riley: This slide outlines the How-to-vote card submission process for RPPs. Looking at step 2 on the flowchart, for each How-to-vote card you submit, you must provide the card in a soft copy PDF format and two hard copies. When you’re ready, book your appointment with the Candidate Services team to lodge your How-to-vote card at the VEC’s head office.

Make sure you upload the soft copy onto DEx prior to your appointment.

We’ll provide you with an instructional guide on how to upload and use DEx.

Riley: Each How-to-vote card must be accompanied by a hard copy declaration form, which we’ll provide to parties by email ahead of the election.

You must also provide hard copy translations of any writing that is in a language other than English on your how-to-vote card.

The VEC will not pre-approve templates for your How-to-vote cards. You can discuss your How-to-vote card with your Election Manager.

Riley: Or the Candidate Services team if you have any questions. However, you are encouraged to first make use of the handbook and the checklists that are available.

Riley: If your application is refused, we will notify you directly by 12 noon on the day after you submit your application and we’ll provide the grounds for refusal. You can submit a new application with a corrected version of your How-to-vote card before registrations close.

Riley: If your How-to-vote card is registered, it will be made available on the VEC website and it can be distributed outside voting centres on Election Day.

If you would like your registered How-to-vote card distributed at mobile voting centres, you must provide printed copies to the relevant election manager.

Zara: Anyone can register a How-to-vote card, not just registered political parties. The content requirements for How-to-vote cards and the rules on how they can be distributed are the same for registered political parties as they are for any other person or group registering a how-to-vote card. If you’re not registering a How-to-vote card on behalf of a registered political party, you need to submit the How-to-vote card to the Election Manager of the relevant district or region within the registration period.

Zara: Call the Election Office to make an appointment from the 3rd of November.

Zara: Here is the step-by-step process to submitting a How-to-vote card for anyone other than an RPP. You must submit your How-to-vote card to the relevant Election Manager in a soft copy PDF format by email and two hard copies in person. You will also need to submit a hard copy declaration form and translation if any languages other than English appear on the card. Check your card carefully for spelling and to ensure it follows the rules, and if you are unsure, check the requirements in the Candidate Handbook. If your How-to-vote card registration is refused, you can submit a corrected version before registration closes.

Riley: If your How-to-vote card is registered, it’ll be made available for download on the VEC website and it can be distributed at voting centres on Election Day. You can provide printed copies to the relevant Election Manager to use at mobile voting centres. Remember that only registered How-to-vote cards can be handed out within 400 metres of a voting centre on Election Day. The registration period for How-to-vote cards opens on Tuesday the 10th of November and closes at 12 noon on Friday the 20th of November.

Zara: How-to-vote cards, like all print electoral campaign material, must be authorised. To authorise something is to include a name and address somewhere visible on the material—that’s what forms the authorisation statement. An address should be the usual address of the person, political party, group or organisation, and should include the street number, street name, suburb or town and state. It does not have to be a residential address; it could be a business or office address that they have regular access to. A PO box or email address is not acceptable. Parties can use the registered party name and address in the authorisation statement if they wish. The authorisation statement must always be in English, as well as any other languages used in the electoral campaign material, and it must be legible from an appropriate distance. If an authorisation statement is too small or obscured by poor design choices—like overlapping images or poorly contrasting colours—then it is unlikely to satisfy the requirement.

Zara: For any information on authorisation guidelines, including examples of authorisation statements, please refer to the authorisation webpage on the VEC website or the Candidate Handbook.

Riley: Registered how-to-vote cards must also include the printer details and the registration endorsement. Here is what the full authorisation and endorsement that you must include in the footer of the card looks like: “Authorised by …” (include the name and street address of the authoriser), “Printed by …” (include the name and place of business of the printer), and “Registered by the Victorian Electoral Commission.”

Riley: You must not distribute a How-to-vote card containing the registration endorsement if that How-to-vote card has not yet been registered, even at early voting centres. We strongly recommend that you don’t print How-to-vote cards with the endorsement statement until your how-to-vote card has been successfully registered.

Zara: You should obtain permission before including certain materials on your how-to-vote card. This includes photos of people other than yourself, images that identify specific organisations, or quotes from third parties. In the past, organisations have objected to being featured because it implies they officially endorse a candidate. While the use of such material would not prevent How-to-vote card registration unless it was in breach of another requirement, we recommend that you obtain permission where relevant to avoid time-consuming disputes, including possible civil action, as well as reprinting costs.

Riley: It’s important to note that the VEC does not provide legal advice and has limited authority to regulate the content of electoral campaign material, except where the material is offensive, obscene, or likely to mislead or deceive an elector in casting their vote.

Zara: Make sure your How-to-vote card complies with all the requirements to avoid being refused registration. You should double check that the card clearly identifies the person, registered political party or group on whose behalf it is distributed; that any logos or emblems are at least 4 square centimetres when printed (and if you shrink your card after registration, ensure the logo stays above this size); that the authorisation statement is visible and contains an endorsement statement; that the card does not contain material that is offensive or obscene; that it indicates an order of voting preference for all candidates listed or instructs the voter to number every box on the ballot paper; and that all candidates and parties shown are spelled correctly and listed in official ballot order, so the card does not mislead in the casting of the vote. We will go into more detail on misleading content now.

Riley: If your How-to-vote card contains a representation of a Legislative Assembly district ballot paper, you must make sure that the card is not misleading in the casting of the vote. That is, ensuring that any voter who follows the instructions on the How-to-vote card will submit a complete and formal ballot paper which reflects their intended choice. If your card includes a full ballot paper representation, you must include either a numbered preference for every candidate on the ballot paper—making sure every box contains a number and no numbers are repeated or skipped—or at least two prominent statements instructing voters to number every box if there are any boxes left blank on your card.

Riley: You should ensure that any voting instruction statements do not imply that the only way to formally vote is to follow that How-to-vote card, and do not contradict the voting instructions on VEC-issued ballot papers. The checks for misleading material on How-to-vote cards also apply for how-to-vote cards that contain a representation of a Legislative Council Region ballot paper. See our information session on How-to-vote cards for Legislative Council elections, or the Candidate Handbook, for more information.

Zara: Shortly after your How-to-vote card is registered, we’ll publish it on the VEC website and make it available for anyone to view it at both VEC’s head office and the relevant Election Office. If you need to correct an error on your How-to-vote card, you must submit an amended version of your card for re-registration no later than 12 noon on Monday 3rd of November. Once we receive your amended card, we will notify you of the outcome by 12 noon the following day.

Zara: The rules for distributing How-to-vote cards differ depending on where you are distributing them. How-to-vote cards that have been registered by the VEC are the only electoral material that can be distributed within 400 metres of a voting centre on Election Day. This limitation does not apply to posters or similar materials that are attached to a structure or vehicle, material in a campaign office, or the normal distribution of a newspaper. An election manager or election official can ask a person they reasonably suspect to be distributing unregistered How-to-vote cards to produce their How-to-vote cards for inspection and hand over all unregistered cards.

Riley: How-to-vote cards distributed at an early voting centre don’t need to be registered. However, they must contain the name and address of the person authorising the card and the printer details, and they must not be likely to mislead or deceive an elector in casting their vote. How-to-vote cards distributed at early voting centres that have not been registered by the Victorian Electoral Commission must not contain the endorsement. How-to-vote cards for mobile voting must be registered and provided to the Election Office for inclusion in the mobile voting pack. Mobile voting begins from 9am on Tuesday 17th of November, so if you would like your How-to-vote card included for mobile voting, please consider making your appointment in time for it to be registered and provided to the Election Manager ahead of that date. Mobile voting centres will also display a QR code that directs electors to the registered How-to-vote cards on the VEC website. That concludes a deep dive into How-to-vote cards for Legislative Assembly district elections.

Riley: So we’ve got a question here: Do I need to include the printer’s details on my how-to-vote card? It’s a really good point. The Electoral Amendment Act 2026, which was recently passed, removes the requirement for some electoral material to include the printer details. But it’s really important to note that requirement will still apply for how-to-vote cards—so your how-to-vote card absolutely needs to include the name and the place of business of the printer.

Riley: Another question: Does the ballot paper on my how-to-vote card have to be the same colour and font as the real ballot paper? No, not at all. It doesn’t have to match colour and font—it just has to align to the contents of the ballot paper so that it’s not going to mislead or deceive an elector if they copy the instructions from the representation onto the actual ballot paper.

Zara:: Can I hand out how-to-vote cards I printed at home? Yes—you can hand out self-printed how-to-vote cards as long as they’ve been registered, and you include your own details as the printer details on those cards.

Riley: Can I post my how-to-vote card on social media or use it in advertising? Yes, you certainly can—many participants post a digital version. Just remember the same rules apply as if you were handing it out anywhere else. And you shouldn’t publish a how-to-vote card that contains the registration statement “Registered by the Victorian Electoral Commission” unless it has actually passed registration. It also needs to be authorised in the same way any other electoral material would.

Riley: What do I do if I suspect someone is handing out unregistered how-to-vote cards on Election Day? Your first port of call is the voting centre manager or any election official in charge at that voting centre. They have the power to request that a person handing out how-to-vote cards show the cards they’re handing out—and if they’re not properly registered, they can take those how-to-vote cards.

Riley: Can we register or submit a how-to-vote card template well before the nomination draw so we can confirm wording, authorisation, inclusions, etc.? We can’t pre-approve a template. You can send one through and we might be able to provide guidance about any glaring issues, but that is not considered pre-approval. Any cards you submit will still be subject to the full assessment process to check all requirements have been met. You can certainly reach out for assistance from the Candidate Services team, but that will not be considered pre-approval of templates.

Riley: Is there a specific amount of how-to-vote cards that should go to election offices for the mobile voting booths? We might provide a more detailed response in the follow-up, but my understanding is that as long as you’ve got one in the folder, the mobile voting team will be able to show the person voting all of the how-to-vote cards that are in that folder.

Zara: OK—so that’s all we have today. Thank you, everyone, for your questions. As we come to the end of this webinar, here are the key dates once again for registering a how-to-vote card and a reminder: see the Candidate Handbook for guidance and requirements, and carefully check your how-to-vote cards before applying to register. If this briefing has raised any questions that were not covered, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at any time, or contact your Election Manager from Tuesday the 3rd of November when election offices open.

Riley: Join us for additional deep dives into topics specific to candidates and parties in later webinars—you can view the information session schedule and register on the VEC website. Thank you again for joining us today.