Reminder to enrol for upcoming election

THIS October will be the City of Ballarat council election and eligible voters are reminded to be correctly enrolled ahead of the close of the electoral roll.

The electoral roll closes on Friday 7 August at 4pm.

There are two types of voters in Victorian council elections: state-enrolled and council-enrolled.

State-enrolled voters must enrol and vote if they are 18-years or older, are an Australian citizen, and have lived in the City of Ballarat for longer than one month.

Council-enrolled voters are property owners, occupiers or representatives of a corporation who pay rates in the City of Ballarat, are 18 years or older and not a state-enrolled voter in the Local Government Area.

The rules for council-enrolled voters have changed since the last election meaning council-enrolled voters must now enrol if they wish to vote.

Once a council-enrolled voters is enrolled, they must vote, or they will be fined.

City of Ballarat acting CEO, Matt Wilson, said ratepayers affected by the changes have been contacted.

“Changes for voting eligibility in the upcoming council elections have been implemented due to amendments in the Local Government Act and affect approximately 13,000 non-resident property owners in the City of Ballarat,” he said.

“The City of Ballarat has already issued letters to these property owners advising that, if they wish to vote in the 2024 election, they need to apply in writing via an application form attached in the letter.

“We also communicated the changes via the City of Ballarat website.

“We encourage these residents to enrol well before the 7 August deadline to ensure they are able to vote in council elections, should they wish to.”

More information on the upcoming council election and changes to enrolment can be found at vec.vic.gov.au.