Enrolling to vote as a ratepayer in Hindmarsh Shire Council

You must enrol and vote if you:

• are 18 years or older
• are an Australian citizen
• have lived at your address in Hindmarsh Shire Council for longer than one month.

For more information visit the VEC website.

Some ratepayers can apply to become council-enrolled voters in Hindmarsh Shire Council if they are:

• a property owner, occupier or represent a corporation
• 18 or older
• not a State-enrolled voter within the Hindmarsh Shire Council area.

These are known as council-enrolled voters.

The rules for council-enrolled voters have changed ahead of the 2024 council elections. These changes are explained below.

You can apply to enrol in Hindmarsh Shire Council if you:

• own property and pay rates in the council area
• are 18 or older
• are not a state-enrolled voter who lives in Hindmarsh Shire Council.

This includes:

• Australian citizens who own a property in Hindmarsh Shire Council but do not live in the area (for example an investment or a holiday home)
• non-citizens over 18 who own a property and live in Hindmarsh Shire Council

Up to 2 ratepayers can apply to enrol per property, but each person only gets one vote.

You can apply to enrol in Hindmarsh Shire Council if you:

• pay rates for a property that you occupy but do not own
• are 18 or older
• are not a state-enrolled voter.

Up to 2 people per property can apply to enrol, but each person only gets one vote.

You can apply to enrol to vote on behalf of a corporation if you:

• are a director or company secretary of a corporation that pays rates (either as an owner or an occupier) in the council area
• have consented to being appointed as the corporation’s representative
• are not already a state-enrolled voter or council-enrolled voter for the same council.

Only one person can apply to enrol as the corporation’s representative.

If you meet any of these criteria, you can contact us via email to info@hindmarsh.vic.gov.au or call 03 5391 4444 to apply to enrol.

Once you are enrolled, you must vote for the October 2024 elections and onwards. If you don’t vote, you may get a fine.

If you don’t want to vote for that property anymore, you can apply to resign your enrolment.

Occupier ratepayers’ and corporations’ enrolment expires before the next local government general election.

If you want to continue to vote, you must apply to enrol again before the next local council general election (2028).

Hindmarsh Shire Council will send you an invitation when it is time to renew your enrolment.

Owner ratepayers’ enrolment does not expire, but they can apply to resign their enrolment.

To apply to become or check if you are a council enrolled voter in Hindmarsh Shire Council, contact us on 03 5391 4444.

For information about Victorian elections, visit the VEC website.

By-elections before October 2024

If you were a council-enrolled voter in Hindmarsh Shire Council at the 2020 local council general elections and your circumstances haven’t changed, you will be automatically enrolled for any by-elections that take place before October 2024. It is not compulsory for you to vote.

If you weren’t a council-enrolled voter in Hindmarsh Shire Council at the 2020 local council general elections, or your circumstances have changed, you can apply to enrol at any by-elections that take place before October 2024. It is not compulsory for you to vote.

If you want to vote in the next local council general election in October 2024, you will need to apply to enrol again.

By-elections after October 2024

If you apply to enrol for the local council elections in 2024, you will remain enrolled for any council by-elections up until 2028. It will be compulsory for you to vote.