Election nominations close in September

Nominations for Baw Baw Shire council elections will close on September 22.

The election of council for the next four-year term will be by postal vote with ballot papers and candidates’ statements expected to be issued by last September.

Voting, which is compulsory for people on the State electoral roll, will close at 6 p.m. on Friday, October 23.

Baw Baw mayor Danny Goss said it could be a week or more all postal votes are received and counted and final results known.

November 13 had been set for the official declaration of the poll.

The current council will go into “caretaker mode” from late September.

It will be the second fully postal vote election in the shire.

The council chose to have postal voting at the 2016 election but this year it has been made compulsory for all 74 councils in the State after changes to the Local Government Act requiring a uniform system state-wide.

The Victorian Electoral Commission will conduct the ballots.

Minister for Local Government Adam Somyurek said to support the government’s goal of gender equality on councils by 2025 and additional $50,000 has been allocated to encourage women to contest this year’s elections, additional to $87,000 already invested to increase overall diversity among councillors.

Because of physical distancing requirements associated with measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 longer candidate statements were permitted this year as part of safe campaigning methods.

VEC has closed its physically offices due to coronavirus but said most electoral business including enrolment updates can be completed online.