The Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) is urging Victorians not to ignore a request for an explanation as to why they didn’t vote in last October’s local council elections.
The VEC said it has issued close to 530,000 ‘Apparent failure to vote notices’ and recipients must respond by the 28-day deadline with a detailed explanation.
Non-voters will have the opportunity to avoid a fine if they provide a detailed response with supporting documentation.
The VEC is required to automatically fine non-respondents or those who do not provide a valid reason $99 for failing to vote.
Electoral Commissioner Sven Bluemmel said that recipients should contact the VEC for assistance if unsure what to do, rather than ignore the notice.
‘If you need help understanding what the notice means and what you need to do, you can call us on 1300 551 575 or visit our website at vec.vic.gov.au,’ Mr Bluemmel said.
‘Information on what to do if you receive an apparent failure to vote notice is available to view in 10 in-language videos,’ Mr Bluemmel added.
‘I also encourage you to sign up to our VoterAlert service, to make sure you’re notified whenever there’s a state or local council election you need to vote in.’
The VEC issued VoterAlert reminders by SMS and email at key points in the election to 2.5 million enrolled voters who had provided their details. They included reminders on the close of roll date and a reminder to vote.
People can sign up at any time to be reminded to vote in all future state and local council elections at: vec.vic.gov.au/VoterAlert.
