By-elections for Northern Grampians and Hindmarsh Shire councils

By-elections will be held in November and December 2020 for Northern Grampians Shire Council and Hindmarsh Shire council.

This is because at the close of nominations for the general local council elections:

• no candidates had nominated for South West Ward in Northern Grampians Shire Council
• only one nomination was received for the two vacancies for East Ward in Hindmarsh Shire Council.

You can find detailed information on the nomination process for both by-elections in the following handbook:

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.

Please note: This handbook applies to the 2020 local council elections, as well as the by-elections for Northern Grampians and Hindmarsh Shire councils.

Computer count information session for scrutineers

We have prepared a video with details about the VEC's computer counting process.

Scrutineer appointment form

Candidates must appoint scrutineers in writing by completing the following form:

Local council elections 2020

Local council elections are being held by post in Victoria in October 2020. Nominations to stand as a candidate closed at 12 noon on Tuesday 22 September.

You can find out more about the nomination process by reading a Candidate Handbook.

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.