State Elections
Held every fourth year on the last Saturday of November, the State elections are independently conducted by the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC). The Parliament of Victoria is categorized into 88 Legislative Assembly (Lower House) districts and 8 Legislative Council (Upper House) regions. The next State election will be held on Saturday, November 25, 2006
Who am I electing?
As your representatives, you will elect one person in the Legislative Assembly and five people in the Legislative Council. The Legislative Assembly has 88 members elected from 88 electoral districts, each with about 38,000 electors. The Legislative Council meanwhile has members elected from 22 electoral provinces, each of which has two members and around 152,000 electors. The 2006 State election will see 40 Legislative Council members elected from eight electoral regions. Each one will have five members.
Why vote?
The State Parliament members you vote for are responsible for enacting decisions on issues such as:
- Prevention of drugs and crime
- The environment
- Education and training
- Hospitals and health services
- Advancement of rural and regional service
- Development of family and community
- Safety of roads and transport
What is the role of political parties in a State election?
Political parties play a crucial role in Australian elections. They designate candidates, campaign for them during the election period, and hand out how-to-vote cards on election day. The political party or alliance of parties that has the majority number of members in the Legislative Assembly usually establishes the government.
How are votes tallied up?
Election results are arrived at via two procedures. For the Legislative Assembly (Lower House), votes are counted using the full preferential system where the candidate who has more than 50% of the votes is elected. For the Legislative Council (Upper House), the candidates must win a definite quota of the electorate’s vote to win.
