2020 Council Elections

On 31 July 2020, Local Government Victoria released its Guidelines for safe campaigning during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. These guidelines are available in the links below.

Importantly, the guidelines advise:

The Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) has released its handbooks for the 2020 Local Government Elections. Handbooks are available for candidates and scrutineers on the VEC website at Candidate handbooks.

The Candidate Handbook has detailed information including on eligibility to stand, entitlements to enrol on the voters’ roll, and nomination procedures. The handbook also contains information for candidates regarding:

Updated 31 July 2020

Knox City Council is hosting it's second VLGA information session for all potential candidates on 15 August 2020.

This session is separate from the Mandatory Candidate Training (see below).

In light of the current stay at home directions issued by the Victorian Chief Health Officer, these sessions are being delivered as a virtual meetings.

Session 2

• Date Saturday 15 August 2020
• Time 10am - 12:30pm

The VLGA is also hosting a number of other information sessions in other municipalities which may be of interest to potential candidates.

More information

The formal nomination period for the election starts on 17 September 2020.

The Local Government Act 2020 provides a person cannot nominate as a candidate for election unless they have completed the prescribed training. This includes all serving or former councillors intending to nominate.

The mandatory local government candidate training for the 2020 local government elections will be delivered through a short online course provided by Local Government Victoria. The course has been developed by Local Government Victoria in collaboration with the sector and is easily accessible online and should take approximately an hour to complete.

The link to access the mandatory local government training will be available from Wednesday 5 August 2020.
Access training

Additional information regarding the mandatory local government candidate training is provided in the Local Government Victoria Frequently Asked Questions pamphlet which can be downloaded below.

If you are a prospective candidate and require assistance to access or use the online training material please contact the Governance Department on 9298 8000.

On 15 May 2020 the Minister for Local Government announced that the 2020 council elections will still go ahead and declared that postal voting will be used across the State.

The newly proclaimed Local Government Act 2020 provides the Minister for Local Government with the power to determine the voting system to be used for general elections. This determination of postal voting overrides Council’s previous resolution to conduct an attendance election.

This is a new method of voting for the City of Knox and is the first time that the same method of voting will be used across all Victorian councils.

It is important to note that the Chief Health Officer has advised that it is safe for the postal election to proceed this year during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Voting is compulsory if you are enrolled to vote on the Victorian State Electoral Role you must vote in local council elections. There is no upper age limit to voting in Victoria.

To be eligible to vote at the 2020 Knox City Council general Election, you need to be enrolled by 4pm Friday 28 August 2020.

You are automatically enrolled for the Local government elections if:

To check if your details are up to date on the Victorian State Roll, visit VEC website.

Enrol online at vec.vic.gov.au or pick up a form at any post office or Australian Electoral Commission office and return it to the Victorian Electoral Commission before 4pm on Friday 28 August 2020.

You only need to enrol with the VEC if you are not automatically enrolled to vote, AND

You may also apply to Council to enrol if you:

If you meet the above criteria and wish to enrol, contact Knox City Council on 9298 8210 for a special enrolment form.

If you are an Australian citizen who lives in the City of Knox you can check your enrolment details online at enrolment.vec.vic.gov.au/ at any time, or call 1300 805 478.

If you are not an Australian citizen or you are a non-resident, contact the Council on 9298 8210.

Voting at the 2020 general election is compulsory for all Knox residents who are enrolled on the State roll for an address in the Knox Council area.

Any person who is required to vote and does not vote, or is not otherwise excused, may be fined or prosecuted.

The VEC is responsible for compulsory voting enforcement at local government elections.

Council has adopted the Election Period Policy & Procedure as required by section 93B of the Local Government Act 1989 (‘the Act’) to provide guidance to Councillors, staff and candidates in the lead up to, and during the election period for the 2020 elections, which commences on 22 September 2020.

Download Council's Election Period Policy.

The Local Government Act 2020 requires an updated Election Period Policy to form part of the Council’s Governance Rules, which must be in place by 1 September 2020. More information regarding the Governance Rules and Election Period Policy will be posted on this page in due course.

Councillors play an important role in shaping the future of their city. To assist prospective candidates in understanding the role of local government and that of Councillor, there are a number of online resources available which you can access by clicking on the external links below.

If you’re planning to display election signage, or distribute leaflets and other materials (e.g. pamphlets) on Council land, you are required to apply for a Permit under the Amenity Local Law 2020.

We recommend that you plan ahead and allow enough time for your permit to be processed.

Leaflet distribution on Council land

Apply for Permit

Election signage on Council land

Click here for the list of pre-approved election signage locations (Version 3, effective 4 August 2020)

If you would like to apply for a location that is not on the list, you may do so, but a fee of $238 will apply. Please be aware that the application process will require more time to assess the suitability and safety of the signage location.

When applying, you’ll need to attach a copy of your Public Liability Insurance Certificate, to a value of $20 million. The Certificate must have Knox City Council listed as an ‘Interested Party’. Public Liability Insurance can be obtained by contacting your personal insurance company, an insurance broker, or localcommunityinsurance.com.au.

Council has made enquiries in the insurance market to confirm that insurance cover as required by the permit conditions is reasonably available and can advise Local Community Insurance Services (LCIS) are offering a Public and Products Liability cover that would meet the requirements of Council’s permit conditions. Candidates are however, encouraged research their insurance options and carefully consider the product disclosure statement before purchasing insurance. In the interests of fairness and transparency, this page will be updated if Council is made aware of other providers with insurance offerings.

The contact number for Local Community Insurance Services is 1300 853 800.
Their key contact if required is Account Executive Stav Richards, Phone 08 8235 6498 or email stav.richards@jlta.com.au

Other election signage specifications:

There are limitations on the number of signs allowed per site. We suggest that you apply for your election signage permit early to avoid disappointment.

Apply for Permit

No permit is required for election signage on private property, as long as it meets the following requirements:

A permit from VicRoads is required when election signage is placed on their land, this includes roads, road verges or tree reserves. More information is available at vicroads.vic.gov.au.

To report any problems or concerns regarding signage on VicRoads land call 13 11 70