Greater Bendigo City Council, Lockwood Ward by-election

We're holding a by-election for Lockwood Ward in Greater Bendigo City Council in March 2026 after Councillor John McIlrath resigned.

Enrolment

The deadline to enrol this by-election was 4 pm on Wednesday 14 January.

Am I enrolled?

If you are a state-enrolled voter in Lockwood Ward, you must vote.

Check my enrolment

If you are a council-enrolled voter in Lockwood Ward, you must vote.

Contact Greater Bendigo City Council on 1300 002 642 to check if you're a council-enrolled voter.

I'm away or have changed address

This election is by post. We'll mail your ballot pack to your enrolled address, or your postal address if you have one listed.

We can redirect your ballot pack to a different address if:

  • you will be away when ballot packs are mailed from Friday 6 March
  • your mailing address has changed since the roll closed on Wednesday 14 January.

If you moved within or out of Lockwood Ward since the close of roll you must vote or risk a fine.

Use our online form to submit your redirection request:

Redirect your ballot pack

You can also download a ballot pack redirection form.

To submit the redirection form, you can either:

  • scan or take a clear photo of it and email it to redirections@vec.vic.gov.au
  • post it to:
    Election manager
    Greater Bendigo City Council, Lockwood Ward by-election
    Victorian Electoral Commission
    Level 11, 530 Collins Street
    Melbourne 3000 VIC

Applications close at 5 pm on Monday 9 February.


Candidates

Nominations:

  • open on Monday 9 February
  • close at 12 noon on Tuesday 17 February.

How to nominate

To nominate, you must:

  • complete the Victorian Government's free Local government candidate training. You must have completed this training within 2 years of Saturday 28 March 2026.
  • complete a nomination form
  • submit your completed nomination form in person at the election office. Call us on 03 8620 1316 to make an appointment.
  • pay the $250 nomination fee.

By law, candidates must disclose donations and gifts they receive in the lead up to a by-election. For more information, visit the Local Government Inspectorate.

Candidate Helper

Candidate Helper can help you prepare your:

  • nomination forms
  • candidate statement
  • candidate questionnaire.

Go to Candidate Helper

Candidate statement, questionnaire and photo

To tell voters about your background, qualifications and what you stand for, you can submit:

  • a candidate statement of up to 200 words
  • answers to the candidate questionnaire
  • a photo of yourself.

This information will be publicly available on this website until the election result is declared.

You must submit your statement, photo and questionnaires before 12 noon on Tuesday 17 February.

Information session

Join our information session at 6 pm on Wednesday 4 February to learn more about becoming a candidate in this election. We will hold this session on Microsoft Teams. 

Register for information session

Joining the info session

You can join a Microsoft Teams webinar from any:

  • PC or Mac computer
  • smartphone
  • tablet device.

You don't need a Microsoft account to join. For help visit Microsoft support. 

Who can be a candidate?

Read our Becoming a local council candidate page for the rules on who can be a candidate.

Campaign donations

By law, candidates must disclose donations and gifts they receive in the lead up to a by-election. For more information, visit the Local Government Inspectorate.

More information

To learn about the nominations process you can:

Voting

Voting in this by-election is by post.

We'll mail ballot packs to all enrolled voters from Friday 6 March.

Your ballot pack will have:

  • a ballot paper
  • candidate statements
  • a ballot paper envelope (for your vote to go in)
  • a reply-paid envelope (for your ballot paper envelope to go in)
  • a multi-language leaflet with translated instructions on how to vote.

I'm away or have changed address

This election is by post. We'll mail your ballot pack to your enrolled address, or your postal address if you have one listed.

We can redirect your ballot pack to a different address if:

  • you will be away when ballot packs are mailed from Friday 6 March
  • your mailing address has changed since the roll closed on Wednesday 14 January.

If you moved within or out of Lockwood Ward since the close of roll you must vote or risk a fine.

Use our online form to submit your redirection request.

Redirect your ballot pack

You can also download a ballot pack redirection form.

To submit the redirection form, you can either:

  • scan or take a clear photo of it and email it to redirections@vec.vic.gov.au
  • post it to:
    Election manager
    Greater Bendigo City Council, Lockwood Ward by-election
    Victorian Electoral Commission
    Level 11, 530 Collins Street
    Melbourne 3000 VIC

Applications close at 5 pm on Monday 9 February.

How to vote

Follow the instructions in your ballot pack to complete your vote.

Make sure you return it before 6 pm on Friday 27 March. You can post it back to us or drop it off at the election office.

Who must vote

You must vote if you're enrolled in Lockwood Ward when the roll closes at 4 pm on Wednesday 14 January.

If you don't vote, we may send you a fine.

To check if you're eligible to vote, read the 'enrolment' section of this page or call us on 131 832.

Large print or braille ballot packs

If you're blind or have low vision, you can register to get your ballot pack in large print or braille.

You only need to register once. If you've registered for past elections, you don't need to register again.

To register, you can:

Registrations close at 5 pm on Tuesday 10 February.


Public notices

  • Close of roll notice - published 17 December 2025

    You must be enrolled to vote

    A by-election for Lockwood Ward in Greater Bendigo City Council will be held in March 2026. To be able to vote in the by-election, you must be enrolled by the close of roll at 4 pm on Wednesday 14 January 2026. Two categories of voters can be enrolled to vote in the Greater Bendigo City Council, Lockwood Ward by-election: state-enrolled voters and council-enrolled voters.

    State-enrolled voters

    Am I enrolled to vote?

    You are automatically enrolled for this by-election if:

    • you will be 18 years of age or over on Saturday 28 March 2026 and
    • you live in Lockwood Ward and
    • you are on the state electoral roll for your current address.

    You need to enrol if:

    • you are an Australian citizen aged 18 or over on Saturday 28 March 2026 and
    • you live in Lockwood Ward and you are not on the state electoral roll or
    • you have lived at your current residential address in Lockwood Ward for at least a month and have not yet updated your enrolment details, including any changes to your postal address.

    How do I enrol?

    You can enrol online at vec.vic.gov.au. You can also download an enrolment form from the website.

    All enrolment applications must be received by the Victorian Electoral Commission by the close of roll at 4 pm on Wednesday 14 January 2026.

    How can I check my state enrolment?

    You can check your enrolment details online at vec.vic.gov.au, or call 131 832.

    Council-enrolled voters

    Am I enrolled to vote?

    To be a council-enrolled voter, you must be:

    • 18 years of age or over on Saturday 28 March 2026 and
    • not a state-enrolled voter in Lockwood Ward.

    You are automatically enrolled for this by-election if you were enrolled as an owner ratepayer at the most recent election for Lockwood Ward.

    If your circumstances have changed since the most recent election and you are no longer an owner ratepayer of that property, you will not be automatically enrolled for this by-election. Depending on your circumstances, you may still be eligible to apply to be enrolled as a council-enrolled voter.

    Who else can enrol and vote?

    You may also apply to enrol if:

    • you have purchased a rateable property in Lockwood Ward since the last election but you are not a resident of Lockwood Ward or
    • you are not an Australian citizen and you live in, and pay rates for, a property in Lockwood Ward or
    • you pay rates on a property you occupy in Lockwood Ward and have no other voting entitlement within the City of Greater Bendigo, for example you are a shop tenant and pay rates to Greater Bendigo City Council for your tenancy, and you have no other voting entitlement within the City of Greater Bendigo or
    • you are a director or company secretary of a corporation in Lockwood Ward that pays rates to Greater Bendigo City Council and you have no other voting entitlement within the City of Greater Bendigo.

    How do I apply to be a council-enrolled voter?

    If you meet any of the above-mentioned criteria and want to enrol, contact Greater Bendigo City Council on 1300 002 642 for a council enrolment form. The council must receive enrolment forms by the close of roll at 4 pm on Wednesday 14 January 2026.

    How can I check if I am council-enrolled?

    You can check your enrolment details by contacting the council on 1300 002 642.

    Thinking about standing for election?

    To nominate as a candidate for Greater Bendigo City Council, you must:

    • be an Australian citizen and enrolled on the voters roll for Greater Bendigo City Council and
    • be eligible to become a councillor should you be elected and
    • have completed the mandatory candidate training before lodging your nomination with the election manager.

    For further information, visit vec.vic.gov.au.

    Enrolment closes 4 pm on Wednesday 14 January 2026.

    State-enrolled voters can register for free VoterAlert SMS and email reminders at vec.vic.gov.au