Elections & voting
Victorian council elections are held every four years, and all voting is by post. The Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) mails a ballot pack to every enrolled voter. Voting is compulsory for people on the roll, and you may be fined if you don't vote. Benalla Rural City has no wards: all voters elect the seven councillors together, by proportional representation.
New to these terms? Read them in plain English
- Ward
- A subdivision of a council area that elects its own councillors.
- How the mayor is chosen
- Either elected directly by voters, or chosen by the councillors.
Election facts
- Next general election
- Saturday 28 October 2028General elections fall on the fourth Saturday in October every 4 years, unless there are exceptional circumstances (VEC Report to Parliament, Oct 2025, p.20).
- Last general election
- Saturday 26 October 2024
- How you vote
- By post — ballot packs are mailed to enrolled voters
- How Benalla votes
- Unsubdivided — 7 councillors elected across the whole councilCounted by proportional representation. The VEC reviewed the structure in 2019; it says the structure matches its recommendation and was set under the Local Government Act 2020 in April 2020. The Mayor is chosen by the councillors, not by voters.
- 2024 turnout
- 83.85% of 11,684 enrolled voters9,797 votes, of which 669 (6.83%) were informal. 15 candidates stood for the 7 seats; the quota was 1,142 votes.
- If a seat falls vacant
- Countback of the 2024 votesIn an unsubdivided council a vacancy is normally filled by a VEC countback. The one vacancy this term (Cr Tolliday, October 2025) was filled this way on 3 December 2025.Countback result →
- Enrol / check enrolment
- Victorian Electoral CommissionProperty owners and occupiers who aren't on the state roll for the municipality may be able to enrol as council voters; the VEC explains who is eligible.Check enrolment →
| Order elected | Candidate | First-preference votes |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | DAVIS, Peter | 1,223 (13.40%) |
| 2nd | TOLLIDAY, Nathan (resigned Oct 2025) | 1,119 (12.26%) |
| 3rd | KING, Justin R | 1,072 (11.74%) |
| 4th | BLORE, David George | 778 (8.52%) |
| 5th | HEARN, Bernie | 728 (7.98%) |
| 6th | MERKEL, Jillian | 483 (5.29%) |
| 7th | HEWA GUNARATNE, Puna | 653 (7.15%) |
| Countback, Dec 2025 | BRANIGAN, Vincent Michael | 530 (5.81%) |
2024 Benalla Rural City Council election: candidates elected, in order of election, with first-preference votes. Source: Victorian Electoral Commission, 2024 results (finalised 22 Nov 2024). Names as on the ballot. The full count and preference distribution are on the VEC page.
Sources — check it yourself
- Victorian Electoral Commission — 2024 Benalla Rural City Council election results · Nov 2024
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Benalla Rural City Council (electoral structure, 2019 review) · Sep 2026
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Benalla Rural City Council countback · Dec 2025
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Local council elections (postal voting, compulsory voting) · Sep 2026
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Report to Parliament on the 2024 local government elections (PDF, p.20) · Oct 2025
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Council countbacks and by-elections · Sep 2026
Figures are current as at the dates shown and may change — always confirm with the linked source. See the notice at the bottom of the page for full details and how to report a correction.