How to nominate

To be a candidate for a state election you must be correctly enrolled in Victoria. You do not need to live in the district or region in which you are nominating.

You cannot nominate if you:

• are not enrolled
• are a judge of a court of Victoria
• have been convicted or found guilty of an indictable offence with a prison term of 5 years or more, in a court in Victoria, Australia or any other part of the British Commonwealth
• are an undischarged bankrupt
• are a member of either House of the Commonwealth Parliament.

You can stand for election, but can't take office without resigning first if you are: 

• a local government councillor
• a Victorian Public Service employee
• an Australian Public Service employee.

You should consult your organisation's policies about standing for election and campaigning while in your role. For example, some organisations may require you to take leave of absence from your position.

If you have dual citizenship, you are eligible to nominate for a state election. If you're not sure if you're eligible to nominate, seek independent legal advice.

You can only nominate in one district or one region. If you nominate as a candidate in more than one district and/or region, all nominations become void.

The quickest way to complete your nomination form online is by using our Candidate Helper tool. It guides you through the process and saves you time at the election office when you’re finalising your nomination.

We’ll share the link to Candidate Helper on this site from Wednesday 21 October.

There will also be a hard copy nomination form in the district and region candidate kits. You can download a candidate kit from this website or pick up a hard copy from an election office from Wednesday 4 November. 

If you need help with your nomination form, you can:

• contact the candidate services team on 03 8620 1316 from Monday 14 September
• contact the election manager. Election manager contact information will be in Candidate Helper from Wednesday 14 October. 

You need people who are enrolled to vote in the electorate you want to represent to support your nomination. Independent candidates need nomination support from: 

• 6 people - lower house (district) candidates
• 50 people - upper house (region) candidates. 

These people are known as your nominators. Your nominators must be correctly enrolled to vote to count towards your nomination. Encourage your nominators to check their enrolment before they sign your nomination forms.

Your nominators must include some details when they’re filling out your nomination form. We use these details to check they’re enrolled to vote when you submit your nomination.

You must collect their:

• full name as it appears on the roll
• signature
• enrolled address
• date of birth. 

You should collect the details of more nominators than you need in case we can’t find some of them on the electoral roll. 

You must pay the $350 nomination deposit at your nomination appointment. 

Please bring your deposit in cash or bank cheque made out to the Victorian Electoral Commission. We cannot accept credit cards, debit cards, or personal cheques. 

We’ll refund your deposit if you:

• are elected
• receive at least 4% of first preference votes
• retire before the close of nominations.

Nominations open on Wednesday 4 November. You need to make an appointment at an election office in the district or region that you’re nominating in. All independent candidates must nominate at an election office. 

Election offices will be co-located in election hubs for the 2026 state election.

Please be aware that there is a shorter nomination period for this election. Don’t leave your appointment until the last minute.

Make sure you bring your completed nomination form (including details of your nominators), and your deposit, to your appointment. 

If you've used Candidate Helper to complete your nomination form, your form will print with a barcode the election manager can scan to speed up the processing time.

Election office locations and contact details will be available in Candidate Helper. During the nomination period, election offices will be open for appointments on:

• 9 am to 5 pm Wednesday 4 to Friday 6 November
• 9 am to 1pm Saturday 7 November. 

Election offices are open on Monday 9 November, but these appointments are reserved for corrections, not new nominations. If you cannot nominate before Monday 9 November please speak to the relevant election manager to discuss your options well in advance.