Enrolling to vote
Voting in local council elections is compulsory.
In a Victorian local council election there are two types of voters:
- State-enrolled voter
- Council-enrolled voter
You can only vote once in each municipality, no matter how many properties you own or occupy.
State-enrolled voters
If you are on the state roll you are automatically enrolled to vote in council elections for your enrolled address (where you live).
If your address on the state electoral roll is in Swan Hill Rural City, you must vote in the Swan Hill Rural City council election. If you don’t vote, the VEC may issue you a fine.
You must enrol and vote if you:
- are 18 years or older
- are an Australian citizen
- have lived at your address in the Swan Hill Rural City area for longer than one month.
Check your enrolment, update your details or enrol for the first time, visit the Victorian Electoral Commission website.
Council-enrolled voters
Some ratepayers can apply to become council-enrolled voters in Swan Hill Rural City if they are:
- are 18 years or older
- a property owner, occupier or represent a corporation
- Not a state-enrolled voter within the Swan Hill Rural City municipality (i.e., you DO NOT reside in the Swan Hill Rural City municipality)
These are known as council-enrolled voters and they fall into 3 categories.
Owner ratepayers
You can apply to enrol in Swan Hill Rural City if you:
- own property and pay rates in the council area
- are 18 or older
- are not a state-enrolled voter who lives in Swan Hill Rural City.
This includes:
- Australian citizens who own a property in Swan Hill Rural City 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 Swan Hill Rural City.
Up to 2 ratepayers can apply to enrol per property.
Owner ratepayers’ enrolment does not expire, but they can apply to resign their enrolment.
Occupier ratepayers
You can apply to enrol in Swan Hill Rural City if you:
- pay rates for a property that you occupy but do not own
- are 18 or older
- are not a state-enrolled voter who lives in Swan Hill Rural City.
Up to 2 people per property can apply to enrol, but each person only gets one vote.
Occupier ratepayers 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).
Swan Hill Rural City Council will send you an invitation when it is time to renew your enrolment.
If you were enrolled for the local council general elections in 2024, you will remain enrolled for any council by-elections up until 2028. It will be compulsory for you to vote.
Corporations
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 Swan Hill Rural City 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 Swan Hill Rural City.
Only one person can apply to enrol as the corporation’s representative.
Corporation representatives’ 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).
Swan Hill Rural City Council will send you an invitation when it is time to renew your enrolment.
If you were enrolled for the local council general elections in 2024, you will remain enrolled for any council by-elections up until 2028. It will be compulsory for you to vote.
If you meet any of these criteria, you can download and complete the appropriate application form below. Once you are enrolled, you must vote in future elections. If you don’t vote, you may be fined by the Victorian Electoral Commission.
Owner ratepayer – Application for enrolment(PDF, 88KB)
Occupier ratepayer – Application for enrolment(PDF, 84KB)
Corporation owner or occupier – Appointment of voting representative(PDF, 97KB)
All sections of the form must be complete in order for the form to be accepted. Forms MUST be signed in person and can not have a typed name. See the back of the form for instructions on signing.
| Email |
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| Post |
Swan Hill Rural City Council
PO Box 488
Swan Hill
VIC 3585
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| In-person |
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Resigning your enrolment
If you don’t want to vote as a council-enrolled voter for that property anymore, you can apply to resign your enrolment.
Hide your address on the voters roll (silent voter)
Election candidates (people running for council) can request a copy of the voters roll to help them campaign. If you wish to suppress your address in the council voters roll, you need to apply to Council.
Download and complete the Silent voter request form(PDF, 66KB).
You will also need to make a statutory declaration outlining the reasons why having your address shown on a voters' roll places or would place the personal safety of you or members of your family at risk.
Return your completed form and statutory declaration to Council. Your application will be assessed and you’ll be notified of the outcome.
More information
To apply to become or check if you are a council-enrolled voter in Swan Hill Rural City, contact us on 03 5036 2333.
For information about Victorian elections, visit the VEC website.