Council elections 2020
Published on 07 August 2020
The Benalla Rural City Council election will be held this October.
The Victorian Electoral Commission is preparing to deliver local council elections during the extraordinary circumstances of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Elections are to be conducted entirely by post – a safe and completely secret method of voting.
You can find out all about when the ballots will be sent, what to do if you will be away from your address and other information on the VEC website.
Local council general elections are held every four years and councillors make decisions on a range of important local issues and services, including:
- maternal health and childcare
- sporting and recreation facilities
- libraries and community centres
- animal registrations
- rubbish and recycling
- planning and building regulations
- local roads and footpaths.
We strongly encourage all eligible voters to vote this October. Voting is compulsory for State-enrolled Australian citizens aged 18 years or older, and you may be fined if you don’t vote.
How to find out about candidates
Watch this YouTube video produced by the VEC for information on how to find out about candidates running for Council.
You can find out about candidates in the election on the VEC website.
Election timeline
Friday 28 August: Roll closes at 4 pm
Thursday 17 September: Candidate nominations open
Tuesday 22 September: Candidate nominations close at 12 noon
Tuesday 6 to Thursday 8 October: Mail-out of ballot packs
Friday 23 October: Voting closes at 6 pm
Friday 13 November: Latest date all results will be declared.
Election information
The Victorian Electoral Commission conduct elections on behalf of all Victorian councils.
For detailed and up to date information about how to enrol, vote, become a candidate, and more, visit Benalla Rural City Council election on the VEC website, or call the VEC on 131 832.
Nominate for Council
If you want to stand as a candidate, you can nominate from 17 September.
Mandatory training
Under new requirements included in the Local Government Act 2020, candidates must complete the Local Government Candidate Training course to be eligible to nominate with the Victorian Electoral Commission. This includes all serving or former councillors intending to nominate.
The online course will take around an hour to complete and ensure candidates fully understand the role of councillor and its requirements.
Candidate information sessions
A video presentation is now available for prospective candidates to find out more about the nomination process for the 2020 local council elections.
The recorded version will be complemented by three state-wide interactive candidate seminars. The seminars will provide prospective candidates the opportunity to ask questions about the nomination process and the election.
The seminars will be held on the following days:
- 7 pm on Wednesday 9 September 2020
- 1 pm on Sunday 13 September 2020
- 5 pm on Tuesday 15 September 2020
Access to further information
We want to encourage people from diverse backgrounds to consider standing for Council.
- The VEC has also produced Easy English guides for the local council elections to support people with disability or low English literacy
More information about becoming a councillor is available at standforcouncil.com.au