Candidate forms and handbooks
Local council elections will be held by post in Victoria in October 2020. Nominations to stand as a candidate open on Thursday 17 September and close at 12 noon on Tuesday 22 September.
You can find out more about the nomination process by reading a Candidate Handbook.
If you are considering becoming a candidate, we also encourage you to watch our video that outlines the nomination process.
Candidate handbook for council postal elections
Candidate kit
Candidate handbook for Melbourne City Council elections
Scrutineers
Scrutineers are people who are appointed to observe election activities on behalf of a candidate. This includes ballot paper issuing and vote counting.
To find out more about the role and responsibilities of a scrutineer, read the following handbook:Scrutineer handbooks
Scrutineer handbook (Melbourne City Council)
Candidates must appoint scrutineers in writing by completing the following form:
Scrutineer appointment form (all elections)
Nomination forms
A Candidate Helper application is available to help you complete the:
- nomination form
- candidate statement
- candidate questionnaire.
Please note: the Local Government Victoria (LGV) mandatory training reference number cannot be used to access any Candidate Helper forms.
Downloadable nomination forms
- Nomination form (pdf, 610.3 kb)
- Nomination form (doc, 2.7 mb)
- Nomination Form - Melbourne City Council (Leadership Team) (pdf, 299.5 kb)
- Nomination Form - Melbourne City Council (Leadership Team) (doc, 1.2 mb)
- Nomination Form - Melbourne City Council (Councillors) (pdf, 246.9 kb)
- Nomination Form - Melbourne City Council (Councillors) (doc, 650.5 kb)
Safe campaigning guidelines
Local Government Victoria have published Safe Campaign Guidelines for the 2020 local council elections.
The guidelines will help candidates understand how to comply with the directions of the Victorian Chief Health Officer to stay safe while campaigning. They include advice on permitted campaign activities, safety for campaign teams, basic hygiene and physical distancing.
Local Government Victoria will continually update these guidelines with the latest directions and restrictions. Make sure to visit the Local Government Victoria website for the latest information.
Read the Safe Campaign Guidelines on the Local Government Victoria website
Previous election handbooks
For an indication of the contents in a candidate handbook, please see the below previous handbooks. These were current at the time of the election and may not reflect changes to legislation.