⊸ News ⋅ By Emily Kulich
Published at 1:59am on Thursday 17 July 2025

ENROLLED non-voters with outstanding fines from last year’s council elections could face an additional $30 fee and a referral to Fines Victoria if they fail to respond soon.

Pictured: Victorian Electoral Commissioner Sven Bluemmel at a Melbourne Press Club event last year. Photo by author.

21,905 enrolled voters in Darebin did not return a ballot to the Victorian Electoral Commission in the October 2024 election – that’s 20.24 per cent of enrolled voters.

Those voters were sent an “apparent failure to vote notice” by the VEC in February or March, asking them to provide a valid reason, take the case to court, or pay a $99 fine.

Voting in all elections relevant to your enrolled address is compulsory across Australia, with legal repercussions for non-compliance.

South Central ward, which includes much of Thornbury, the northern end of Northcote, and the very southern end of Preston, had the lowest response from registered voters at 22.48 per cent.

Of 530,000 non-voters across the state, 15 per cent provided a reason which satisfied the VEC when first asked.

The remaining 85 per cent were sent penalty reminder notices by the VEC early this month, with Victorian Electoral Commissioner Sven Bluemmel warning those who do not respond within 28 days will have a fee of $29.20 added to their fine and be referred to Fines Victoria.

“If you receive a penalty reminder notice in the mail, you have three options: pay the fine, request an internal review, or elect to go to court,” Bluemmel said in a media release.

“Please get in touch with us if you have any questions or require further clarification because once we hand it over to Fines Victoria for enforcement action, we are unable to further assist.”

The Victorian Electoral Commission can be contacted on 1300 551 575, or via vec.vic.gov.au/voting/fines-and-reviews.

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