State elections
The State Government makes decisions about issues that affect Victorians, for example:
- hospitals
- crime prevention
- education and training
- transport and road safety.
Next state election
We hold state elections on the last Saturday in November every 4 years. This date is set by the Electoral Act 2002 (Vic).
The next state election is on Saturday 28 November 2026.
Voting
You can cast your vote at any voting centre in Victoria on election day. There are also options for:
- early voting
- postal voting
- overseas and interstate voting.
Who must vote
You must enrol and vote in a state election if you:
- are 18 years or older
- are an Australian citizen
- have lived in Victoria for longer than a month.
If you are enrolled and do not vote, we may send you a fine.
Who you elect
The Parliament of Victoria is divided into:
- the Legislative Assembly (lower house)
- the Legislative Council (upper house).
In a state election, you are voting for:
- one person to represent your area in the lower house – this area is called a district.
- 5 people to represent your area in the upper house – this area is called a region.
The people you elect are called Members of Parliament (MPs).
The lower house
There are 88 MPs in the lower house, one for each district in Victoria. The party or coalition with majority support in the lower house forms the Victorian Government.
The upper house
There are 40 MPs in the upper house, 5 for each region in Victoria. Upper house MPs review legislation that has been passed by lower house MPs.
2026 state election timeline
25 days before election day - 3 November 2026
The term of Parliament finishes and the Governor of Victoria issues writs for the election. The writ is a document commanding us to hold an election. Candidates can nominate for election once the writs have been issued.
25 days before election day - 3 November 2026
People who are eligible to be on the roll have until 8 pm to enrol or update their details on the day of the issue of the writ.
19 days before election day - 9 November 2026
Candidates can nominate until 12 noon on close of nomination day.
10 days before election day - 18 November 2026
Early voting opens. People can vote at any early voting centre within Victoria until 6 pm on the day before election day. Early voting is also available at a number of interstate and overseas locations.
Election day - 28 November 2026
It must be the last Saturday in November. People can vote at any voting centre in Victoria between 8 am and 6 pm on election day.
21 days after election day - 19 December 2026
Return of the writs. After all results are declared, we return the writs to the Governor of Victoria. The writs include the names of the elected candidates in both houses of Parliament.