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Run for South Gippsland Shire Council - Find out how to do it

What you need to know and consider before you become an electoral candidate.

By news@gippsland - 2nd June 2021 - Back to News

Visit our election web page for information about running for Council including the process, timelines and what it means to be a Councillor . And also you, or how to become a local council candidate.

The Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) recommends that South Gippsland Shire Council consist of nine councillors from three threecouncillor wards, with minor changes to current ward boundaries

Becoming a local council candidate

To be a candidate for a local council election, you must:

Who can be a candidate?
Be an Australian citizen or an eligible British subject referred to in section 48(1)(a) of the Constitution Act 1975
Be aged 18 years of age
Be enrolled on the voters' roll for the council in which you wish to stand
have completed the mandatory Local Government Candidate Training
Not be disqualified from being a councillor
You cannot be a candidate for any of the following reasons:
You are an undischarged bankrupt
You have property that is subject to control under the law relating to bankruptcy
You are a member of council staff of the council. You can take leave from this role in order to nominate
You have been convicted of any of the criminal offences referred to in section 34(2) of the Act
You are a councillor with another council, including interstate councils
You are member of an Australian Parliament, including the Federal Parliament or a Member of Parliament in any state or territory of the Commonwealth of Australia
You are employed by a Federal or State Member of Parliament as a Ministerial Officer, a Parliamentary Adviser or an Electorate Officer. You can take leave from these roles in order to nominate or
You are otherwise incapable of becoming or continuing to be a councillor

Further details are outlined in the Local Government Act 2020.

Do candidates need to live in the area?

To become a candidate, you must be enrolled for the council in which you wish to stand. If the council has wards, you can be a candidate for any ward in the council.

Find out more about Enrol for local council elections.

Can candidates have a copy of the roll?

Following the close of nominations, you may request a free electronic copy of the roll for the election you are contesting to assist with campaigning. We do not provide:

Email addresses
Phone numbers
Details of silent electors

You must declare that you will only use roll data for campaigning. You must also destroy or return copies of the roll within 30 days of the election day. Penalties apply for misusing roll information or failing to destroy or return roll information as required.

Funding and donations

There is no public funding for candidates in local council elections. Within 40 days after election day, you must complete and submit an election donation return to the Chief Executive Officer of the council in which you nominated. The election donation return must either disclose gifts you receive in the lead up to an election or provide a statement that no gifts were received.

Please note that donation disclosure requirements for local council elections are different from those that apply to candidates at State elections. For more information, visit the Local Government Inspectorate's website Election Campaign Donation Returns - Guidance material.

What if there aren't enough candidates in an election?

If the number of candidates in an election is the same as the number of vacancies, those candidates are elected without the need for a vote. This is called being elected unopposed, or an uncontested election. If there are fewer candidates than vacancies, the candidates who nominated are declared elected. A by-election is held at a future date to fill the remaining vacancies. If nobody nominates as a candidate, no voting takes place and another election is held as soon as possible.

Ballot draw

The position of each candidate on the ballot paper is determined by a single computerised random draw for each council after nominations close. The exception is Melbourne City Council, where the Leadership Team ballot is determined by a single randomised draw, and the councillors ballot is randomly drawn in two parts:

The order of the groups above the line
The order of the ungrouped candidates

The computerised draw software has been independently audited and certified, determining that the draw is completely random. View the software component that generates the random order for the ballot draw.

Key dates and event

Key Dates	Election Event
15 September 2021	Election office in Leongatha opens to the public (site to be confirmed)
16 September 2021	Candidate nominations open
21 September 2021	Candidate nominations close
22 October 2021	Last votes must be posted/lodged by 6.00pm to Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC)
23 October 2021	Election Day
29 October 2021	Last votes received by 12.00pm by the VEC
30 October to 5 November 2021	Election declaration occurs during this timeframe once vote counting is finalised