Council elections

General Council elections are held every four years on the fourth Saturday in October and it is compulsory to vote. The Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) is responsible for administering Victorian Council elections. You can find out more about Council elections on the VEC website.

The next general election for the City of Port Phillip will be held on 26 October 2024.

A countback is held where a vacating councillor was elected by proportional representation (a multi-councillor ward or an unsubdivided council).

All candidates who were not elected at the original election, and who are still eligible to be a councillor, are automatically participants in the countback. The original election is the most recent election that was not conducted by a countback.

All votes from the original election are included in the countback. To be successful at a countback, a participating candidate needs to achieve a quota. The quota for election in the countback is the same quota as that which applied to the count of votes in the original election.

Before they can be declared elected, a successful candidate must complete and return a declaration stating that they are still qualified to be a councillor. If the candidate does not return the declaration within 48 hours, a further countback will be held.

If there are no remaining eligible candidates to participate in a countback, a by-election is required.

In a council by-election, people vote to elect a new councillor.

A by-election may be held if:

• a councillor resigns or cannot complete their term in a single-councillor ward; or
• there are no remaining eligible candidates in a multi-member ward or unsubdivided council; and
• there are more than six months before the next general council election.

By-elections can be postal or attendance.

Voting in council elections may be:

• Postal: Voters in the area receive a ballot pack by mail
• Attendance: Voters in the area go to a voting centre to vote

The voting system for all Victorian local councils is set by the Minister for Local Government. Prior to an election, the Victorian Electoral Commission will confirm the method of voting for each Council.

To be eligible to vote in a council election there are two types of enrolment:

• State-enrolled
• Council-enrolled

If you own more than one property in a council area, you only get one vote.

Queries regarding state enrolment should be directed to the Victorian Electoral Commission.

Council-enrolled voters include people such as ratepayers who qualify to be automatically enrolled by the council, or who apply to council to be enrolled.

Council-enrolled voters must be:

• 18 years or older
• not a State-enrolled voter within the council area

To check if you are on the Port Phillip Council roll, please contact us on 03 9209 6777.

If you are not on the Port Phillip Council roll, you can apply to be a Council-enrolled voter if one of the following apply:

• you have purchased a rateable property in a council area since the last election
• you are not an Australian citizen and you live in, and pay rates for, a property in a council area
• you pay rates on a property you occupy and have no other voting entitlement within a council - for example, you are a shop tenant and pay rates to the council for the tenancy
• you are a director or company secretary of a corporation that pays rates to a council and you have no other voting entitlement in that council.

To apply to enrol as Council-enrolled voter in the City of Port Phillip, please contact us on 03 9209 6777.

Voting is compulsory for State-enrolled voters. If you do not vote, you may get a fine.

It is not compulsory for council-enrolled voters to vote, except in Melbourne City Council.