Enrolling for local council elections
Types of enrolment
In a council election there are two types of enrolment:
- State-enrolled
- council-enrolled.
If you have more than one enrolment entitlement in one council area, you still only get one vote.
State-enrolled voters
You must be on the State roll for your home address (principal place of residence) if you are:
- an Australian citizen
- 18 years or older
- have lived in Victoria for at least one month.
State-enrolled voters must vote. If you do not vote, you may get a fine.
Council-enrolled voters
Council-enrolled voters include people such as ratepayers who qualify to be automatically enrolled by the council, or who apply to council to be enrolled.
It is not compulsory for council-enrolled voters to vote, except in Melbourne City Council.
Council-enrolled voters must be:
- 18 years or older
- not a State-enrolled voter within the council area.
To check if you are a council-enrolled voter, contact your council directly.
Automatic enrolment
You are automatically enrolled by your council for any by-elections if you were enrolled as a non-resident owner (you pay rates on a property but do not live there) at the most recent election for your council. This includes any by-elections.
If your circumstances have changed since the most recent election and you are no longer a non-resident owner of a property, you will not be automatically enrolled for any future by-elections.
People who can apply to enrol
You can apply to be a council-enrolled voter if:
- you pay rates on a property in the ward or council area, but you do not live there and were not on the roll for the most recent election or by-election
or - you are not an Australian citizen, but you live in and pay rates for a property in the ward or council area
or - you pay rates on a property you occupy within a ward our council area and have no other entitlement to vote in the ward or council
or - are a director or company secretary of a corporation that pays rates on a property within a ward or council area and you have no other entitlement to vote in the ward or council area.
To apply to enrol as a council-enrolled voter, contact your council directly.