Voters

Voting in Victoria

A plain-language guide to enrolment, compulsory voting and preferential voting for the Victorian state election. This page summarises public information from the electoral commissions. It is not legal advice and not a recommendation for any candidate or party.

The next Victorian state election is on Friday 27 November 2026. You will vote for both houses of the Parliament of Victoria:

• Legislative Assembly (lower house) — one member for your local district (88 seats statewide).
• Legislative Council (upper house) — five members for your region (8 regions, 40 seats).

Official election page: VEC — 2026 state election.

Who must enrol

According to the VEC, you must enrol to vote if you:

• are an Australian citizen,
• are 18 or older, and
• have lived in Victoria for longer than a month.

You must enrol within 21 days of meeting those requirements. If you are 17, you can fill out an enrolment form now; the commission can enrol you automatically when you turn 18.

A smaller group of British subjects who were on an Australian electoral roll between 26 October 1983 and 26 January 1984, and who live at a Victorian address, must also enrol — see the VEC enrol page for the exact wording.

Source: vec.vic.gov.au — Enrol to vote (accessed 29 July 2026).

Compulsory voting

Voting is compulsory in Australia for people who are enrolled. In Victoria, if you are enrolled you must vote in federal, state and local council elections. The obligation follows being on the roll, not whether you care about a particular contest.

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) runs federal elections. The VEC runs Victorian state and local council elections.

Source: vec.vic.gov.au — Fines and reviews.

If you do not vote

If it looks as though you did not vote, the VEC may write to you. Do not ignore the letters — each step can increase what you owe.

1. Apparent failure to vote notice — your chance to explain (for example, that you did vote, or why you could not). You usually have 28 days to respond. This first letter is not itself the fine.
2. Infringement notice — a fine, if you do not respond in time or your explanation is not accepted.
3. Penalty reminder notice — the original fine plus an extra fee if you still do not deal with it.
4. Fines Victoria — if the matter is still unpaid, the VEC must refer it for further enforcement.

For elections held between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027, the VEC lists the fine for not voting as $105. Amounts are set by financial year and can change — always check the notice you receive and the VEC fines page.

You may be able to request a review, a payment plan, or take the matter to court. Valid reasons and processes are decided by the VEC under the law; this site does not list exhaustive excuses. Read the full process on the VEC site or call 1300 551 575.

How to enrol or update your details

Victoria works with the AEC so you enrol once for federal, state and local council elections.

• Enrol or update online (AEC)
• Check your enrolment (AEC)
• Download a paper enrolment form (AEC) — or call the VEC on 131 832 to have a form posted.

When you move house, you need to have lived at the new address for about 30 days before updating, then update within 21 days (VEC guidance). Keep your name and postal address current so election material reaches you.

For the 2026 state election: enrol or update by 8 pm on Tuesday 3 November 2026 , according to the VEC. Always re-check the VEC enrol page before the deadline.

Free reminders: sign up for VoterAlert.

How preferential voting works

Victoria uses preferential voting. You rank candidates (or, in the upper house, a group) in the order you prefer. If your higher choices cannot win, your vote can still count for later preferences — so long as the ballot is filled in correctly (a formal vote).

Legislative Assembly (lower house)

One member is elected per district. Full preferential voting applies: you must number every box.

1. Write 1 next to the candidate you most want elected.
2. Write 2 next to your second choice.
3. Continue 3, 4, 5… until every box has a different number.

Counting (in plain terms): first-preference votes are tallied. If no candidate has a majority, the last-placed candidate is excluded and their ballots move to each voter’s next preference. That continues until one candidate has a majority of votes still in the count.

Legislative Council (upper house)

You elect five members for your region. The upper house ballot is larger and has a thick line across it. Under current VEC instructions you may vote above the line or below the line — not both.

• Above the line: write 1 in the box for one group and leave the rest of the paper blank. Preferences then follow the group voting ticket registered by that group (published by the VEC before the election).
• Below the line: number individual candidates. You must number at least five boxes (1 through 5) for the vote to count; you may number more if you wish. Do not write numbers above the line.

Upper house rules have been under public discussion (including group voting tickets). Before you vote, re-read the VEC ballot-paper instructions for the rules that apply on the day.

Party how-to-vote cards

Parties and others may hand out how-to-vote cards suggesting an order of numbers. You are not required to follow them. Your ballot is secret; the numbers you write are your choice, within the formal rules above.

This website does not publish preference recommendations or sample orderings for any party or candidate.

Sources: Preferential voting · How to fill out state ballot papers (VEC).

Other ways to vote

Closer to election day the VEC publishes options such as voting early, voting by post, and assistance for people who need it. Details (dates, locations, eligibility) change each election — use the official guide rather than a third-party summary.

VEC — 2026 state election · How voting works.

Official links

What this page is not

• Not voting advice, a how-to-vote card, or a preference recommendation.
• Not legal advice about fines, reviews or special circumstances.
• Not a substitute for the VEC or AEC. If anything here differs from a commission publication, the commission is correct.
• Not about who is standing — for candidates and sources, start at the homepage or districts.

Reviewed against public VEC and AEC pages as of 29 July 2026. See also the site disclaimer and independence statement.