Local council elections will be held in Victoria by post this October for all councils except Moira Shire Council.
Your vote matters. Local council elections are your chance to choose who you want to represent your community on the issues that you care about.
Key dates
The key dates for local council elections are determined by the Local Government Act 2020 (the Act).
Right now, the Victorian Parliament is considering changes to the Act that could:
- change the deadline to enrol for local council elections
- enable other key dates to be changed through regulations.
We will update this website with clear information as soon as the key dates are confirmed.
In the meantime, you can review the proposed changes.
Proposed changes
The following timeline changes are proposed for all Victorian local council elections this October except for Melbourne City Council.
| Key date |
Current timeline |
Proposed timeline |
| Close of roll |
4 pm on Friday 30 August |
4 pm on Wednesday 7 August |
| Nominations open |
Thursday 19 September |
Monday 9 September |
| Nominations close |
12 noon on Tuesday 24 September |
12 noon on Tuesday 17 September |
| Deadline to submit candidate statement, questionnaire and photos* |
12 noon on Wednesday 25 September |
12 noon on Tuesday 17 September |
| Ballot draw |
3 pm on Tuesday 24 September |
10 am on Wednesday 18 September |
| Mail-out of ballot packs |
Commencing on Tuesday 8 October |
Commencing on Monday 7 October |
| Close of voting |
6 pm Friday 25 October |
No change |
| All results finalised |
By Friday 15 November |
No change |
* Under the proposed timeline, the deadline to submit candidate statements, photos and questionnaires would shift to the same time that nominations close.
Proposed changes (Melbourne City Council)
The following timeline changes are proposed for the Melbourne City Council general election this October.
| Key date |
Current timeline |
Proposed timeline |
| Close of roll |
4 pm on Friday 30 August |
4 pm on Wednesday 7 August |
| Nominations open |
Thursday 19 September |
Monday 9 September |
| Nominations close |
12 noon on Tuesday 24 September |
12 noon on Tuesday 17 September |
| Deadline to register team name (Leadership Team) and group name (councillors) |
12 noon on Thursday 26 September |
12 noon on Thursday 19 September |
| Ballot draw |
3 pm on Thursday 26 September |
3 pm on Thursday 19 September |
| Deadline to submit statements, preferences, and questionnaires (Leadership Team) |
12 noon on Monday 30 September |
12 noon on Monday 23 September |
| Deadline to submit statements, group voting tickets, ungrouped preferences, and questionnaires (councillors) |
12 noon on Monday 30 September |
12 noon on Monday 23 September |
| Mail-out of ballot packs |
Commencing on Tuesday 8 October |
Commencing on Monday 7 October |
| Close of voting |
6 pm Friday 25 October |
No change |
| All results finalised |
By Friday 15 November |
No change |
Be ready to vote
The rules for enrolling to vote in council elections have changed, so it's a good idea to check and see if you're impacted.
Learn more about enrolling for local council elections.
Check enrolment
Update enrolment
Enrol to vote
Become a candidate
The opening and closing dates to submit your nomination will be available soon.
To learn about the nominations process you can:
Get VoterAlert election reminders
Don't miss your chance to vote - sign up to receive reminders for the Victorian local council elections.
Sign up for VoterAlert.
