Council elections

Enrolling as a ratepayer in Merri-bek to vote in Council elections  

In a Victorian local Council election there are 2 types of voters: 

  1. State-enrolled 
  2. Council-enrolled 

You have 1 vote in Merri-bek. If you are a state-enrolled voter, that is the enrolment you use to vote. 

State-enrolled voters 

You must enrol and vote if you: 

  • are 18 years or older  
  • are an Australian citizen 
  • have lived at your address in Merri-bek for longer than 1 month.  

For more information visit the VEC website. Phone 1300 805 478 or email info@vec.vic.gov.au 

Council-enrolled voters (ratepayers) 

Some ratepayers can apply to become council-enrolled voters in Merri-bek if they are: 

  • a property owner, occupier or represent a corporation 
  • 18 years or older 
  • not a State-enrolled voter within Merri-bek. 

These are known as Council-enrolled voters and they fall into 3 categories: 

Owner ratepayers 

You can apply to enrol in Merri-bek if you:  

  • own property and pay rates in the Council area 
  • are 18 years or older 
  • are not a State-enrolled voter who lives in Merri-bek. 

This includes: 

  • Australian citizens who own a property in Merri-bek but do not live in the area (for example an investment or a holiday home) 
  • non-citizens over 18 years who own a property and live in Merri-bek. 

Up to 2 ratepayers can apply to enrol per property but each person only gets 1 vote. 

Owner ratepayers’ enrolment does not expire, but they can apply to resign their enrolment. 

Occupier ratepayers 

You can apply to enrol in Merri-bek if you: 

  • pay rates for a property that you occupy but do not own  
  • are 18 years or older 
  • are not a State-enrolled voter within the Merri-bek area. 

Up to 2 people per property can apply to enrol but each person only gets 1 vote. 

Corporations  

You can apply to enrol to vote on behalf of a corporation if you: 

  • are a director or company secretary of a corporation that pays rates (either as an owner or an occupier) in the Council area  
  • have consented to being appointed as the corporation’s representative 
  • are not already a State-enrolled voter or council-enrolled voter within the Merri-bek area. 

Only 1 person can apply to enrol as the corporation’s representative.   

Silent Voter 

You can request (PDF 59Kb) for your address to be supressed on the Voters' Roll (PDF 59Kb): 

  • Applications will be approved or denied by Council’s Chief Executive Officer  
  • A statutory declaration must accompany this form 

How to enrol to vote in Council elections

If you meet the criteria, you can contact us on (03) 9240 1111, info@merri-bek.vic.gov.au or fill in a PDF form and apply to enrol.  

Once you are enrolled, you must vote in all future elections. If you don’t vote, you may get a fine.  

Resigning your enrolment 

If you don’t want to vote as a council-enrolled voter for that property anymore, you can apply to resign your enrolment. You can do so by filling in the relevant PDF form listed below. 

Expiry of enrolment 

Occupier ratepayers’ and corporations’ enrolment expires before the next local government general election. 

If you want to continue to vote, you must apply to enrol again before the next local council general election (2028). 

Merri-bek City Council will send you an invitation when it is time to renew your enrolment. 

Owner ratepayers’ enrolment does not expire, but they can apply to resign their enrolment. 

More information about Council elections

To apply to become or check if you are a Council-enrolled voter in Merri-bek, contact us on (03) 9240 1111 or info@merri-bek.vic.gov.au. 

For information about Victorian elections, visit the VEC website. Phone 1300 805 478 or email info@vec.vic.gov.au 

2024 Council Elections

The Victorian local council elections were held by postal ballot in October 2024.

  • The Local Government Act 2020 requires candidates in a council election to return election campaign donations. Returns must be:

    • done within 40 days after election day
    • to the Chief Executive Officer.

    Campaign donation returns on gifts to, and on behalf of candidates must contain the amount or value equal to, or exceeding the gift disclosure threshold of $500. This includes the amount or value of:

    • goods
    • services
    • in-kind support.

    Election campaign return details relate to the donation period and during an election campaign.

    The donation period begins either:

    • 30 days after the last general election for the council
    • 30 days after the last election for the council at which the person required to give the election campaign donation return was a candidate
    • whichever is the later and ending 30 days after election day in the current election for the council.

    Within 14 days after the deadline for completed returns, summaries will be available on our website. They’ll be available until the entitlement date for the next general election.

    Election Campaign Donation Returns Summary 2024 (PDF 100Kb)

 

Merri-bek Election Period Policy (PDF 87Kb)