Hume City has recorded the biggest improvement in voting accuracy of any council in Victoria, according to the Victorian Electoral Commission’s (VEC) latest report to parliament.
The report shows that informal voting – where ballot papers are filled out incorrectly or left blank – dropped by 5.59 percentage points from 9.36% at the 2020 local council elections to 3.77% at last year’s local councillor elections.
The VEC linked the result to a major shake-up of the city’s electoral structure, which replaced three multi-councillor wards with 11 single-councillor wards. The simpler system appears to have helped voters complete their ballots correctly, states VEC.
Push for reform
The report also calls for a series of statewide electoral reforms to meet the demands of Victoria’s growing population and the complexity of running postal-only elections.
Among the recommendations is lifting the current 12-councillor limit, which affects large and fast-growing councils such as Hume (which has 11 councillors). The Commission also wants to see regular reviews of council boundaries and representation levels reinstated to ensure fair local representation.
The VEC has also raised concerns about the long-term viability of Victoria’s all-postal voting system, citing rising costs and delivery delays. It suggests the government begin planning for a move to electronic voting in future local elections.
Fewer complaints
Overall, public submissions to the VEC fell by 25% compared to 2020, with 1,581 received. Most were complaints about postal delays, missing ballot packs, and enrolment problems.
VEC says Hume’s experience shows that structural reform can help improve voter participation and reduce errors – lessons it hopes to apply ahead of the next local government elections in 2028.
