A report tabled by the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) on the conduct of Victoria’s 2024 local council elections has called for changes to the state’s local government legislation.
While the Commission hailed the election a success, with more than 4.3 million Victorians casting their vote and the lowest informality rate on record, it has recommended broad reform to ensure it can continue to meet the expectations of all Victorians for transparent and fair elections, and safeguard against increasing integrity threats.
The report makes 10 key recommendations and 27 operational commitments, including:
- a continued focus on strengthening safeguards to detect and prevent postal vote fraud
- exploring options to publish provisional results in real time
- expanding the candidate questionnaire to include party membership, so voters have clear information about candidates’ political affiliations.
“The 2024 council elections were the most complex to date and they were successfully delivered,” said Electoral Commissioner Sven Bluemmel.
“Our focus is on the integrity of elections. When issues arose, our people and systems caught them quickly and responded rapidly.”
Mr Bluemmel also highlighted what he says are unprecedented challenges and the increasing complexity of election delivery.
“We are committed to continuous improvement in the delivery of elections,” he said.
“I look forward to providing updates in future election service plans and reports on the progress of our commitments.”
The full report is available at Local council election reports and plans | Victorian Electoral Commission.
