{"id":91951,"date":"2024-08-17T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-16T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/?p=91951"},"modified":"2024-08-14T17:42:02","modified_gmt":"2024-08-14T07:42:02","slug":"council-elections-are-coming-soon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/news\/council-elections-are-coming-soon\/","title":{"rendered":"Council elections are coming soon"},"content":{"rendered":"

VOTERS and candidates alike are preparing for local council elections to be held across Victoria, including in the Surf Coast Shire, the City of Greater Geelong, the Borough of Queenscliffe and the Colac Otway Shire.<\/p>\n

Voting in this election is by post only, with ballot packs to be sent out from early October.<\/p>\n

If you are enrolled, you must vote, as voting is compulsory. If you do not vote, you may receive a fine.<\/p>\n

According to the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC), a large majority of the state’s population does follow the rules, with an average voter turnout rate of 81.47 per cent in the 2020 local council elections and an average informality rate of only 4.76 per cent.<\/p>\n

The first major date on the election calendar is already over, with the electoral roll officially closing on Wednesday last week.<\/p>\n

This means anyone who has not yet enrolled or updated their enrolment can no longer do so, but people on the roll who have changed addresses since the deadline passed can request the VEC to redirect their ballot pack.<\/p>\n

Coming important dates in the 2024 council election:<\/p>\n

September 9 \u2013 Nominations for candidates open at 9am<\/p>\n

September 17 \u2013 Deadline for nominations, candidate statements, photographs, and questionnaires to the VEC close at noon<\/p>\n

September 18 \u2013 Ballot draw for candidates<\/p>\n

October 7 \u2013 Ballot pack mailout begins<\/p>\n

October 25 \u2013 Voting closes at 6 pm<\/p>\n

November 1 \u2013 All postal votes must be received by noon<\/p>\n

November 15 \u2013 All results declared.<\/p>\n

Parts of the Geelong region will experience significant changes during this election, with the City of Greater Geelong changing to 11 wards (up from four) with one councillor each and the Surf Coast Shire changing to three wards (down from four) with three councillors each.<\/p>\n

The Borough of Queenscliffe and Colac Otway Shire are remaining unsubdivided, with five and seven councillors representing the entirety of the respective municipalities.<\/p>\n

For more information on both voters and candidates, head to the VEC’s website at vec.vic.gov.au<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VOTERS and candidates alike are preparing for local council elections to be held across Victoria, including in the Surf Coast Shire, the City of Greater Geelong, the Borough of Queenscliffe and the Colac Otway Shire. Voting in this election is by post only, with ballot packs to be sent out from early October. If you […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":91952,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-91951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCouncil elections are coming soon - Bellarine Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Get ready for Victoria council elections 2024! Key dates, voting details, and changes in Geelong region wards. 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