Thousands asked to explain not voting in council elections

THOUSANDS of “please explain” notices have been issued to non-voters following the council elections of October 2024.

In the City of Greater Geelong, 22,880 notices were issued on February 24 across the population of 205,894 enrolled voters, according to the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC).

Surf Coast Shire had 3,080 notices issued on March 11 from 30,125 enrolled voters, and the Borough of Queenscliffe and had 155 notices issued on February 17 from 3,351 enrolled voters.

Before issuing the notices the VEC conducted its own pre-processing and removed for example, anyone who notified they would be away during the election.

The VEC is urging Victorians not to ignore the request for an explanation as to why they appear not to have voted, and recipients must respond by the 28-day deadline with a detailed explanation.

The notice is an opportunity to avoid a fine if non-voters provide a detailed response with supporting documentation.

The VEC is required to automatically fine non-respondents or those who do not provide a valid reason for failing to vote with the penalty $99.

Victorian Electoral Commissioner Sven Bluemmel said recipients should contact the VEC for assistance if unsure what to do, rather than ignore the notice.

“If you need help understanding what the notice means and what you need to do, you can call us on 1300 551 575 or visit our website at vec.vic.gov.au,” he said.

The VEC issued VoterAlert reminders by SMS and email at key points in the election to 2.5 million enrolled voters who had provided their details.

They included reminders on the close of roll date and a reminder to vote.

People can sign up at any time to be reminded to vote in all future state and local council elections at vec.vic.gov.au/VoterAlert