Council elections update

The FKN editors

Council elections are coming to Melbourne and Moonee Valley in October 2024. We’ve compiled a quick guide. Visit our website for a web version with clickable links.

There is also information about the elections available in a range of languages on the VEC website. Click here.

Registering to vote

Voter registration for the council elections has now finished. Many residents will be able to check their enrolment by clicking here. If you previously enrolled directly through the council, contact them directly if you are uncertain of your enrolment status.

While some unofficial campaigning is already underway, the short nomination period for candidates is yet to take place. It will occur between 9 and 17 September. Those interested must check the Elections page of their respective councils. City of Melbourne here and City of Moonee Valley here.

Voting will take place by post, and enrolled voters will have between 7 October and 6pm 25 October to fill and post their ballots. Voting is compulsory, and you must post your vote back by 6pm Friday 25 October. The results will be declared 15 November.

See this Victorian Electoral Commission interactive map to find out which council you belong to (and ward, if relevant).

Of course, Flem-Ken bridges two very different councils, so here's a little breakdown for each. 

Melbourne City Council

The City of Melbourne encompasses Kensington as well as lesser neighbourhoods like the CBD. (We jest! Love your ramen options.) CoM’s population in 2023 was estimated to be 177,396, and the area is of course a major national economic hub, home to 43,000 plus businesses. 

City of Melbourne council elections are unique in the state. Enrolled voters fill out two ballots, one to select the Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor and another to select nine councillors. Ratepayers and residents are also eligible to vote, and corporations with taxable property in the city designate two officers to vote on behalf of the corporation.

Finally, there are no ward structures in the City of Melbourne. 

We don’t have the space here to explore the list of presumptive candidates, but there has already been much media coverage. A simple google search will give you plenty of insight.  

One early casualty of the looming election has been a fast-tracked and successful vote to ban e-scooters throughout the City of Melbourne, a change that will come into effect within the month, unless the state government intervenes.

City of Moonee Valley (MVCC)

City of Moonee Valley is of course where the good suburbs of Flemington and Travancore call home.

Of particular significance, MVCC have undergone a change of ward structure this year. Following the changes, Flemington and Travancore residents will now vote for a single councillor to represent Myrnong Ward (which encompasses both of these neighbourhoods). Some readers who are living in Ascot Vale – near the junction of Epsom and Ascot Vale – may be voting for a councillor to represent Fairbairn Ward (which hugs the racecourse from Fairbairn Park to Ascot Vale Road). See this link for details about the ward structure change.

Elections in Moonee Valley come amid some tumult this year. Minister for Local Government  Melissa Horne MP appointed monitors at the start of 2024, following an IBAC probe involving councillor responses to tensions around the shared use of an Essendon Park by sports clubs. Those monitors were extended after six months and are still in place at present.