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. Hepburn Shire has no wards: voters across the whole shire elect all seven councillors together, by proportional representation, and can vote for any candidate wherever they live.
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 council says the results were declared on 15 November 2024.
- How you vote
- By post — ballot packs are mailed to enrolled voters
- How Hepburn votes
- No wards — 7 councillors elected shire-wideAfter a 2023–24 electoral structure review, the Minister for Local Government changed the shire from five wards with seven councillors to no wards with seven councillors, first used at the 2024 election. The Mayor is chosen by the councillors, not by voters.
- 2024 result
- Don Henderson, Brian Hood, Lesley Hewitt, Tony Clark, Tim Drylie, Pat Hockey and Shirley Cornish elected (in that order)12 candidates for 7 vacancies. Enrolment 13,231; formal votes 10,392; informal 629 (5.71%); turnout 11,021 (83.30% of enrolment); quota 1,300.
- Changes since 2024
- None — no countback or by-electionThe seven councillors elected in 2024 match the VEC's current list, and the VEC's council page lists no countback or by-election since then (checked September 2026).
- If a seat falls vacant
- CountbackWith councillors elected shire-wide by proportional representation, the VEC normally fills a vacancy by recounting the 2024 ballot papers among the unsuccessful candidates who choose to take part.Countbacks and by-elections →
- Who can vote
- Residents on the state roll, plus ratepayers who applyEligible ratepayers who aren't on the state roll for the shire can apply to the council to be enrolled, at any time.Council election page →
- Enrol / check enrolment
- Victorian Electoral CommissionCheck enrolment →
| Candidate | First preferences | Share | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Don Henderson | 2,440 | 23.48% | Elected (1st) |
| Brian Hood | 1,540 | 14.82% | Elected (2nd) |
| Lesley Hewitt | 1,079 | 10.38% | Elected (3rd) |
| Tony Clark | 660 | 6.35% | Elected (4th) |
| Tim Drylie | 963 | 9.27% | Elected (5th) |
| Pat Hockey | 768 | 7.39% | Elected (6th) |
| Shirley Cornish | 618 | 5.95% | Elected (7th) |
| Christian Porochowsky | 537 | 5.17% | Not elected |
| Derek Sedgman | 492 | 4.73% | Not elected |
| Cameron Stone | 438 | 4.21% | Not elected |
| Bernie Winfield-Gray | 434 | 4.18% | Not elected |
| Benny Pettersson | 423 | 4.07% | Not elected |
2024 Hepburn Shire Council election: first-preference votes for each candidate (7 vacancies, proportional representation). Source: Victorian Electoral Commission, 2024 results (finalised). Seats are decided after preferences are distributed, which the VEC page shows in full.
Sources — check it yourself
- Victorian Electoral Commission — 2024 Hepburn Shire Council election results · Nov 2024
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Hepburn Shire Council (unsubdivided, 7 councillors) · Sep 2026
- Hepburn Shire Council — Local government election (electoral structure, ratepayer enrolment) · 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
- 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.