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 state roll, and you may be fined if you don't vote. Kingston elects one councillor for each of its 11 wards.
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
- Most recent by-election
- Melaleuca Ward, Saturday 1 August 2026 (by post)Held after the resignation of Cr Tess Law. Nikki Kaur was declared elected on 14 August 2026 after the distribution of preferences (51.33% to 48.67%). Turnout was 79.01% of 11,285 enrolled voters.By-election results →
- How you vote
- By post — ballot packs are mailed to enrolled voters
- How Kingston votes
- 11 wards, one councillor each; preferential countBanksia, Bunjil, Caruana, Chicquita, Como, Karkarook, Longbeach, Melaleuca, Sandpiper, Wattle and Yammerbook. The Mayor is chosen by the councillors, not by voters.
- If a seat falls vacant
- By-electionIn a single-councillor ward, a vacancy with more than 6 months of the term left is filled by a by-election.
- Voting
- Compulsory for people on the state rollYou may be fined if you don't vote. Some non-resident ratepayers can choose to enrol with the council; once enrolled, they must vote too.
- Enrol / check enrolment
- Victorian Electoral CommissionCheck enrolment →
| Ward | Elected (2024) | Turnout |
|---|---|---|
| Banksia | Chris Howe | 80.35% |
| Bunjil | Tony Athanasopoulos | 83.42% |
| Caruana | Caroline White | 88.38% |
| Chicquita | Jane Agirtan | 85.45% |
| Como | Chris Hill | 82.09% |
| Karkarook | Hadi Saab | 83.59% |
| Longbeach | Georgina Oxley | 83.32% |
| Melaleuca | Tess Law | 83.31% |
| Sandpiper | Kirralee Ashworth-Collett | 85.13% |
| Wattle | Georgia Erevnidis | 81.99% |
| Yammerbook | Sarah O'Donnell | 87.29% |
2024 Kingston City Council election: candidate elected in each ward and voter turnout. Source: Victorian Electoral Commission, 2024 results (finalised). Melaleuca Ward has since changed hands at the 1 August 2026 by-election (see above). Full first-preference counts and preference distributions are on the VEC page.
Sources — check it yourself
- Victorian Electoral Commission — 2024 Kingston City Council election results · Nov 2024
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Kingston, Melaleuca Ward by-election results · Aug 2026
- City of Kingston — Council 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
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Council countbacks and by-elections · Sep 2026
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Kingston City Council (electoral structure) · 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.