Latrobe City Council, Morwell Ward by-election
We're holding a by-election in Latrobe City Council, Morwell River Ward in July after Councillor Tracie Lund resigned.
Candidates
Nominations:
- open on Monday 15 June
- close at 12 noon on Tuesday 23 June.
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 1 August 2026.
- fill in 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.
Candidate Helper
Candidate Helper is our online tool that helps you prepare your:
- nomination forms
- candidate statement and questionnaire
- photograph.
Candidate statement, questionnaire and photo
To tell voters about your background, qualifications and what you stand for, you can submit:
- a statement of up to 200 words
- answers to the candidate questionnaire
- a photo of yourself.
Information session
Join our online information session at 6 pm on Wednesday 10 June to learn more about becoming a candidate in this election. We’ll hold this session using Microsoft Teams.
We’ll share the link to register for this session on Wednesday 3 June.
Joining the info session
You can join a Microsoft Teams meeting 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 about 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:
- read about becoming a local council candidate
- download a candidate handbook.
Enrolment
The deadline to enrol this by-election was 4 pm on Wednesday 20 May.
Am I enrolled?
If you are a state-enrolled voter in Morwell River Ward, you must vote.
If you are a council-enrolled voter in Morwell River Ward, you must vote.
Contact Latrobe City Council on 1300 367 700 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.
- you'll be away when ballot packs are posted (from Monday 13 July)
- your mailing address has changed since the roll closed on (Wednesday 20 May).
If you moved within or out of Morwell River Ward since the close of roll you must vote or risk a fine.
You can use our online form to redirect your ballot pack.
You can also download a hard copy ballot pack redirection form.
To submit your 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
Latrobe City Council, Morwell River Ward by-election
Victorian Electoral Commission
Level 11, 530 Collins Street
Melbourne 3000 VIC
Applications close at 5 pm on Monday 15 June.
Voting
Voting in this by-election is by post.
We'll mail ballot packs to all enrolled voters from Monday 13 July.
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.
- you'll be away when ballot packs are posted (from Monday 13 July)
- your mailing address has changed since the roll closed on (Wednesday 20 May).
If you moved within or out of Morwell River Ward since the close of roll you must vote or risk a fine.
You can use our online form to redirect your ballot pack.
You can also download a hard copy ballot pack redirection form.
To submit your 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
Latrobe City Council, Morwell River Ward by-election
Victorian Electoral Commission
Level 11, 530 Collins Street
Melbourne 3000 VIC
Applications close at 5 pm on Monday 15 June.
How to vote
Follow the instructions in your ballot pack to complete your vote.
Make sure you return it before 6 pm on Friday 31 July. You can post it back to us or drop it off at the election office.
Who will vote
You must vote if you're enrolled in Morwell River Ward when the roll closes at 4 pm on Wednesday Wednesday 20 May.
If you don't vote, you may get 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:
- call 03 8620 1314 from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday
- email BrailleAndLargePrint@vec.vic.gov.au
Registrations close at 5 pm on Tuesday 16 June.
Public notices
Vote by post by Friday 31 July
Voting
Ballot packs will be mailed to voters enrolled in the Latrobe City Council, Morwell River Ward by-election from Monday 13 July 2026. Return your completed ballot material by mail ASAP or hand deliver it to the election manager by the close of voting at 6 pm on Friday 31 July 2026.
If you will be away
If you will be away during the voting period (Monday 13 July 2026 to Friday 31 July 2026), or your address has changed since Wednesday 20 May 2026, you can request your ballot pack to be redirected by completing an online redirection form at vec.vic.gov.au/redirections, or call 131 832.
Please include the address for redirection. Each voter requesting redirection must sign their request. Requests for redirection must be received by Monday 15 June 2026.
Alternatively, you can go to the election office to vote in person, from 10 am on Wednesday 24 June 2026.
The Latrobe City Council election office is at:
40-50 Queens Parade
Traralgon
Large print and braille ballot papers
Large print or braille ballot papers are available for voters who are blind or have low vision - please register by 5 pm on Tuesday 16 June 2026. To register, call 8620 1314 during business hours.
How to nominate as a candidate
To nominate as a candidate, you must:
- be an Australian citizen and enrolled on the voters roll for Latrobe 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.
To nominate, complete the nomination form and lodge it with the election manager together with the $250 nomination fee. Nomination forms can be lodged by appointment during business hours from Monday 15 June 2026 until 12 noon on Tuesday 23 June 2026 at the election office.
Visit vec.vic.gov.au for more information and to pre-complete your nomination form using the online Candidate Helper.
If you use the online Candidate Helper, print your pre-completed form and make an appointment to lodge it with the election manager along with the nomination fee.
To make a nomination appointment, call 8620 1316 from Monday 15 June 2026.
Candidate information session
A candidate information session will be hosted online using Microsoft Teams at 6 pm on Wednesday 10 June 2026.
The VEC will publish the link to register for the live stream on Wednesday 3 June 2026 on vec.vic.gov.au.
Candidate information kits containing nomination forms and other electoral information will be available online and from the election manager.
Nominations close 12 noon on Tuesday 23 June 2026.
State-enrolled voters can register for free VoterAlert SMS and email reminders at vec.vic.gov.au/voteralert.