It is compulsory to enrol and vote for your principal place of residence if you
- are an Australian citizen, or a qualified British subject*; and
- are aged 18 years or over; and
- have lived at your current address in Victoria for at least one month.
Each time you change your address, you must update your enrolment details. If you've left an old address your name will be removed from the roll unless you complete a new application for electoral enrolment. If you don't update your enrolment you risk being fined and may not be able to vote. Additionally, you should advise the VEC if any other enrolment details change such as your name or postal address.
You can also provisionally enrol if you are 17 years old.
* A qualified British subject for the Electoral Roll in Victoria is one who was on an Australian electoral roll between 26 October 1983 and 26 January 1984.
To enrol to vote, fill in an enrolment form. Full completion of this form will enrol you to vote in Federal, State and local council elections.
Completed enrolment forms may be returned by mail, faxed to (03) 9277 7126 or hand-delivered to the VEC or one of the Australian Electoral Commission's Victorian Divisional Offices.
Enrolment forms can also be found at:
- any post office, or Centrelink office;
- the VEC office at Level 11, 530 Collins Street, Melbourne; or
- by calling 131 832.
Special enrolment options are available if you:
- have mobility issues;
- are experiencing homelessness;
- are travelling or working overseas (including Antarctica); or
- are an itinerant worker.
If you don't want your address to appear on the roll for safety reasons, you may be able to enrol as a silent elector.
There are also additional categories of enrolment for:
It is important to keep your enrolment details up-to-date. If you move house, or change your name, you need to let the Victorian Electoral Commission know by completing a new enrolment form.
Each time you change your address, you must update your enrolment details. If you've left an old address your name will be removed from the roll unless you complete a new application for electoral enrolment. If you don't update your enrolment you risk being fined and may not be able to vote. Additionally, you should advise the VEC if any other enrolment details change such as your name or postal address.
The VEC has developed a Privacy Policy to protect enrolment information and the privacy of electors. Electors who don't want their address on the roll for safety reasons may apply to be a silent elector.
The Electoral Act 2002 (the Act) requires the VEC to make certain information available to stakeholders such as political parties, Members of Parliament and candidates. The Act also allows the VEC to make information available to certain individuals and organisations. This may occur if, in the circumstance presented, the public interest in providing the requested information outweighs the public interest in protecting the privacy of personal information. This decision is made by the Victorian Privacy Commissioner after consultation with the VEC.
For more information please consult the VEC's Privacy Policy or download a copy of Electoral Enrolment Information: Collection and Disclosure Practices (PDF 826kB)
You can check your enrolment online for the State roll. You can also find the correct electorates and municipality for any address.
You do not need to take action with regards to your enrolment if you're travelling but still consider your principal residence to be in Victoria. There are various options available if there is an election while you are travelling and you want to vote.
If you have moved interstate, you will be automatically removed from the electoral roll in Victoria when you enrol at your new address.
If you have moved overseas and intend to return to Australia within six years, you can apply to be an overseas elector. However, if you are living overseas indefinitely or permanently you can notify the VEC that you do not wish to vote by supplying an Overseas notification form.
There are very few reasons why someone may be removed from the electoral roll.
Someone has died
When someone is deceased in Victoria they are automatically removed from the roll when the VEC receives notification from the Registry Births, Deaths and Marriages (external link). Their next of kin need take no action, although written notification to the VEC will ensure that the correct person is removed more quickly.
When someone has died overseas or interstate, their next of kin will need to provide a copy of the death certificate to ensure that the person is correctly removed from the roll. Details on how to contact the VEC are available on the contact us page.
Someone serving a prison sentence
People who are serving a prison sentence of five or more years are also automatically removed from the roll. However, they are eligible to re-enrol upon release. The Federal law differs from State law in terms of the ability of prisoners to vote. This means that if a person is serving a prison sentence of three to five years, they are removed from the Federal roll but not the State roll. They are still enrolled and entitled to vote in State and local council elections but will need to re-enrol upon release to participate in Federal elections.
Someone is mentally incapable
You can apply to remove a person's name from the roll if that person is incapable of understanding the nature and significance of enrolment and voting. The person's doctor must verify that this is the case by completing a form. A brochure of this topic is available for further information (
PDF 361
kB,
DOC 85
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Someone with incorrect or inaccurate details
You can be removed from the roll if you are enrolled for an address that is not your principal place of residence. In most cases this is because you have changed your address and not updated your enrolment. This makes you ineligible to vote and you may face a fine.
If you're eligible to be on the electoral roll but you have not enrolled, or have not updated your enrolment, you are not able to have your say and vote in elections.
You may also be fined. From 1 July 2009 the penalty amount is $122.14 and this figure will be indexed at the beginning of every financial year.
Avoid a fine. Simply complete, sign and submit an enrolment form.
