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. Since the 2024 election Gannawarra has no wards: the whole shire elects 7 councillors by proportional representation, where a candidate needs a quota of the votes to be elected.
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 2024The VEC declared the result on 8 November 2024.
- How you vote
- By post — ballot packs are mailed to enrolled voters
- How Gannawarra votes
- Unsubdivided — 7 councillors elected shire-wide; proportional representationThe structure changed after the VEC's 2023–24 electoral structure review; the council had wards before the 2024 election. The Mayor is chosen by the councillors, not by voters.Council map (VEC) →
- If a seat falls vacant
- Countback, not a by-electionBecause the councillors are elected by proportional representation, the VEC fills a vacancy by recounting the 2024 votes among the unelected candidates who are still eligible. There is no new vote. No countback has been held this term (VEC timeline, checked September 2026).How countbacks work →
- Enrol / check enrolment
- Victorian Electoral CommissionCheck enrolment →
| Order elected | Candidate | First-preference votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Lisa Farrant | 1,874 | 27.57% |
| 2nd | Garner J Smith | 1,141 | 16.79% |
| 3rd | Daniel Bolitho | 458 | 6.74% |
| 4th | Ross Stanton | 746 | 10.98% |
| 5th | Pat Quinn | 578 | 8.50% |
| 6th | Charles Gillingham | 621 | 9.14% |
| 7th | Keith Harold Link | 355 | 5.22% |
2024 Gannawarra Shire Council election (7 vacancies, 11 candidates): candidates elected in order of election, with first-preference votes. Enrolment 8,353; formal votes 6,797; informal votes 233 (3.31%); turnout 7,030 (84.16%); quota 850. Source: Victorian Electoral Commission, 2024 results (finalised). Full distributions are on the VEC page.
The candidates not elected in 2024 were Travis Collier (469 first preferences, 6.90%), Robert Jarman (286, 4.21%), Noel Collins (179, 2.63%) and Anthony L Troy (90, 1.32%). Names are as the VEC lists them.
Sources — check it yourself
- Victorian Electoral Commission — 2024 Gannawarra Shire Council election results · Nov 2024
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Gannawarra Shire Council (electoral structure, current councillors) · Sep 2026
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Council by-elections and countbacks timeline · Sep 2026
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Council countbacks and by-elections · Sep 2026
- Gannawarra Shire Council — 2024 Council elections (result declared 8 Nov 2024) · Sep 2026
- 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
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.