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. Golden Plains 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 2024
- How you vote
- By post — ballot packs are mailed to enrolled voters
- How Golden Plains votes
- Unsubdivided — 7 councillors elected shire-wide; proportional representationThe 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. This has happened twice this term: Gavin Gamble replaced Lachlan Glen (January 2025) and Dom Cook replaced Brett Cunningham (June 2025).How countbacks work →
- Enrol / check enrolment
- Victorian Electoral CommissionCheck enrolment →
| Order elected | Candidate | First-preference votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Lachlan Glen | 2,932 | 18.90% |
| 2nd | Sarah Hayden | 2,297 | 14.81% |
| 3rd | Des Phelan | 2,148 | 13.85% |
| 4th | Brett Brian Cunningham | 1,524 | 9.82% |
| 5th | Emma Robbins | 1,244 | 8.02% |
| 6th | Helena Angela Kirby | 1,423 | 9.17% |
| 7th | Owen Sharkey | 1,475 | 9.51% |
2024 Golden Plains Shire Council election (7 vacancies, 10 candidates): candidates elected in order of election, with first-preference votes. Enrolment 18,970; turnout 16,309 (85.97%); informal votes 795 (4.87%); quota 1,940. Source: Victorian Electoral Commission, 2024 results (finalised). Full distributions are on the VEC page.
The candidates not elected in 2024 were Gavin Gamble (1,138 first preferences, 7.34%), John Crowe (800, 5.16%) and Dom Cook (533, 3.44%). Gavin Gamble and Dom Cook later took seats at countbacks.
Sources — check it yourself
- Victorian Electoral Commission — 2024 Golden Plains Shire Council election results · Nov 2024
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Golden Plains 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
- 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.