When do local elections take place

A benefit of the countback system is that it allows representation to continue to be proportional to the preferences expressed by voters in the general election. The Victorian Electoral Commission website contains more information about by-elections and countbacks.

Skip to content Know Your Council Show navigation. Guide to Councils. Guide Index What councils do. How councils work. Council elections. Finance and planning. How councils make decisions. Consultation and complaints. Search the guide: Search. The election process. When are council elections held? Who runs council elections? Close of nominations Candidates must submit their nominations in person to the Election Manager before the close of nominations.

Close of voting General elections and by-elections are held by postal voting. How votes are counted Two methods of counting votes are used in council elections, depending on whether or not the election is for a single-member ward.

Preferential voting The preferential voting system is used where a ward is electing a single councillor. Proportional Representation The Proportional Representation method is used for counting election results for unsubdivided councils and multi-member wards.

Declaration of election results The Election Manager will publicly declare results after the votes have been counted and scrutineers have had time to examine the record of the count. Caretaker arrangements Similar to the practice with federal and state government elections, Victorian councils observe special arrangements during the period leading up to a general council election.

Replacement of a councillor Occasionally, a position on council becomes vacant between general elections. By-election A by-election is called if a vacancy occurs in a single-member ward where votes were counted using the simple preferential system.

Countback A countback is a method for filling vacancies in multiple-member constituencies. What councils do How councils work Council elections The election process Voting in a council election Participating as a candidate Election offences and complaints Finance and planning How councils make decisions Consultation and complaints.

House of Representatives serve two-year terms. All members get elected every midterm and presidential election year. A representative must be at least 25, a U. The number of representatives a state has depends on its population. Each representative serves a specific congressional district.

Find your representative. Senators serve six-year terms. One-third of senators get elected during each midterm and each presidential election year. A senator must be at least 30, a U. There are U. Find your senators. Everything you need to know about gifts and crowdfunding when you are elected as a council member.

These are results of the following in-person elections for the office of councillor held on 16 October Following local government elections, Returning Officers need to submit Form 20 reports to the Minister. If Returning Officers require assistance to access the portal, please email lghotline dlgsc.

Local government elections management. Local governments can download and share these Vocal Local social media tiles and posters to spread the message and encourage Western Australians to get out and vote.

Voting in a local government election is not compulsory in Western Australia. However, all local electors are strongly encouraged to vote. This means the result of an election is determined by simply counting the number of votes received by each candidate and the candidates with the most votes win until all vacancies are filled.

Where there is a single vacancy, the candidate with the most votes will be elected; where there is more than one vacancy, candidates will be elected in order according to the number of votes received by each. Where an in-person election is held, electors may apply for a postal vote, absentee vote or an early vote if they are not able to go to a polling booth on election day.

The Electoral Commissioner appoints returning officers for postal elections and in-person elections conducted by the WAEC. A list of these returning officers is available on the WAEC website.

If the local government decides to conduct the election, the Chief Executive Officer of the local government is the returning officer, unless the local government decides to appoint another person to perform the function.. If the office of an elected council member, mayor or president becomes vacant due to the death or resignation of a member, or another reason listed in the Act, an Extraordinary election must be held within four months of the vacancy occurring. The filling of extraordinary vacancies that occur after the third Saturday in January and up until the third Saturday in July in an election year can be deferred if approved by the electoral commissioner under the Act.

Public notice of local elections are published in accordance with the requirements of the Act. The notices provide details about enrolling to vote, nominating to be a candidate in the elections, the ways in which a vote can be cast and the date of the election. Local government elections are an important means by which council members are held accountable for their performance as community representatives. Local governments play a key role in supporting the integrity of the election process.

Elections must be conducted to the highest standards of fairness and propriety to maintain public confidence in the democratic process. The presiding officer, also known as an electoral officer, is pivotal to the smooth running of an election. Presiding and electoral officers must act lawfully, professionally, impartially and with fairness, honesty and integrity and follow procedures correctly. The manner in which a presiding or electoral officer carries out their functions is under scrutiny on an election day.

Scrutineers play an important role in local government elections. Candidates have the right to appoint scrutineers to represent their interests by observing the conduct of the election at close hand to check that legal requirements are being met.

Scrutineers must understand the election process, and the responsibilities and duties of the individuals involved, so they can fulfill their role effectively. Close menu. Main navigation. The Ordinary elections were held on 16 October The majority of local governments elect to hold postal voting elections conducted by the WAEC. An introduction to local government An overview of how local government works.