Please note: enrolments for this year’s local government elections have now closed.
Voting in council elections is a slightly different process to state and federal processes, so let’s have a quick look at how you vote this time around.
Rather than visiting a polling (or pre-polling) booth or applying for a postal vote, all your voting materials are automatically mailed to you. This includes your ballot paper, a candidate profile brochure, a ballot paper envelope to be signed, a reply-paid envelope and a postal voting guide.
Step 1 - Fill out your ballot paper.
Unlike other elections there isn’t a set number of boxes you need to fill out across the state. Instead the number of boxes you have to fill out is based on how many vacancies there are for your vote to count. You still number boxes by your preference, starting with 1 for your most preferred candidate and so on. Your ballot will tell you how many vacancies there are.
For example, if you’re in a ward* with 2 vacancies and 7 candidates running, you must fill out at least two boxes for your vote to count.
* A ward is a specific geographic section of a council area; councils are split into wards for elections so that candidates are elected to represent their neighbourhoods.
Step 2 – Send your ballot back.
Once you’ve filled out your ballot, fold it and pop it in the ballot paper envelope and seal it. Make sure the declaration is filled out with your details, sign it and put the ballot paper envelope into the reply-paid envelope, seal it and send it back.
Your ballot must arrive before the closing date on 10 November, it is strongly recommended that you post your vote before 3 November to give it plenty of time to arrive. If you don’t get your ballot in the post on time you can place it in the ballot box at your local council office before voting closes.
