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. Swan Hill has no wards: voters across the municipality elect all 7 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). The council's page says the next election will be held in October 2028.
- Last general election
- Saturday 26 October 2024
- How you vote
- By post — ballot packs are mailed to enrolled voters
- 2024 count
- 14 candidates for 7 seats; turnout 76.49%Enrolment 14,004; formal votes 10,105; informal votes 606 (5.66%); quota 1,264 (VEC, results finalised).
- If a seat falls vacant
- CountbackIn an unsubdivided council, a vacancy is normally filled by a countback of the votes from the last election, run by the VEC. The VEC lists a Swan Hill countback on 16 January 2023, in the previous term.
- 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 →
| Candidate | First preferences | Share | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| KING, Stuart | 1,925 | 19.05% | Elected (1st) |
| JENNINGS, Terry | 1,378 | 13.64% | Elected (2nd) |
| McPHEE, Les | 1,277 | 12.64% | Elected (3rd) |
| BROAD, Hugh | 524 | 5.19% | Elected (4th) |
| THORNTON, Peta | 756 | 7.48% | Elected (5th) |
| ROGERS, Lindsay | 790 | 7.82% | Elected (6th) |
| ENGLEFIELD, Phillip | 719 | 7.12% | Elected (7th) |
| McKAY, Nicole | 627 | 6.20% | Not elected |
| JEFFERY, Chris | 522 | 5.17% | Not elected |
| SARANTIS, Jana | 469 | 4.64% | Not elected |
| PEARCE, Christopher | 318 | 3.15% | Not elected |
| KELLY, Jacquie | 309 | 3.06% | Not elected |
| STEVENS, Kelly | 268 | 2.65% | Not elected |
| RIDGEWAY, Allen | 223 | 2.21% | Not elected |
2024 Swan Hill Rural City Council election: first-preference votes for each candidate. Source: Victorian Electoral Commission, 2024 results (finalised). Names and order of election as published by the VEC. Preference distributions are on the VEC page.
Sources — check it yourself
- Victorian Electoral Commission — 2024 Swan Hill Rural City Council election results · Nov 2024
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Swan Hill Rural City Council (unsubdivided, 7 councillors; past results) · 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
- Swan Hill Rural City Council — Council 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.