News
TUESDAY 30TH JULY 2024
A CALL TO ACTION
Most of you will be aware that there have been significant changes to the electoral structure of the Surf Coast Shire (SCS), which means that Lorne is now part of the much larger Otway Range ward with 3 elected councillors. For many years, Lorne has been a separate one-councillor ward and we have been well served by our councillors, Clive Goldsworthy and Gary Allen.
What this means is that if the Lorne community is to continue to have a voice at Council, we need a local candidate, and this will be a major challenge with the much larger undivided ward. Nominations for candidates close in September and the Committee for Lorne is in discussions with potential candidates.
More immediate is the closing of the electoral roll on Wednesday 7th August 2024. Yes, next week!
While most Lorne residents will already be on the roll, we urge you to check your enrolment at enrolment.vec.vic.gov.au.
Perhaps less well known is that you are entitled to enrol as a Council enrolled voter and to vote in the upcoming election if you own a property in the SCS, even if you do not live here, or only live here some of the time. You can also enrol to vote on the Council roll even if you are not an Australian citizen.
To be eligible to vote as a Council enrolled voter, you will need to fit one of the following criteria:
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You are an owner ratepayer (you own the property and pay rates).
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You are an occupier ratepayer (you occupy a property and pay rates, even though you do not own the property).
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You are acting on behalf of a corporation (you are a director or company secretary of a corporation that pays rates in the Council area).
And yes, if you meet the criteria, you can vote in more than one council election.
In order for Lorne to maximise its vote and have a chance of securing representation, we need to ensure that all eligible voters are enrolled. If this applies to you, please enrol now.
https://www.surfcoast.vic.gov.au/About-us/Council/Upcoming-Council-Election/Information-for-voters
