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.

Check my enrolment

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 a council-enrolled voter at the October 2020 local council elections.

If your circumstances have changed since the most recent election and you are no longer eligible to be enrolled, or your contact address has changed, you should contact your council to discuss your enrolment. Depending on your circumstances you may still be eligible to continue to be a council-enrolled voter.

People who can apply to enrol

You can apply to enrol if you are not already automatically enrolled, and:

• you have purchased a rateable property in a council area since the last election
  or
• you are not an Australian citizen and you live in, and pay rates for, a property in a council area
  or
• you pay rates on a property you occupy and have no other voting entitlement within a council - for example, you are a shop tenant and pay rates to the council for the tenancy 
  or
• you are a director or company secretary of a corporation that pays rates to a council and you have no other voting entitlement in that council.

To apply to enrol as a council-enrolled voter, contact your council directly.