Enrol now to vote in local government elections

It’s nearly local government election time and Shire of Augusta Margaret River property owners and residents are being prompted to check their enrolment details to ensure they can vote this October. All residents who are already listed on the State Electoral Roll with a Shire of Augusta Margaret River address be will be automatically enrolled to vote in the local election. Anyone who has recently changed address to a property that is in the region and lived at least a month in their new residence can update their State Roll details with the Australian Electoral Commission.  An Enrolment Eligibility Claim Form, available via the Shire’s website, will need to be completed by anyone who:

is a non-resident property owner (that is, they are listed on the State Electoral Roll under a primary out of area address) occupies a rateable property within the Shire but is not otherwise listed on the roll is nominated as a body corporate representative (up to two eligible electors per body corporate)

Shire of Augusta Margaret River CEO Stephanie Addison-Brown explained that anyone applying to vote needed to further demonstrate they:

are aged 18 years and over are an Australian citizen (or a British subject who was on the Roll between 26 October 1983 and 25 January 1984 have been living at their current address for at least one month.

Electors who are aged 17 years can enrol provisionally. They can only vote when they reach 18 years of age. Ms Addison-Brown said while voting wasn’t compulsory for local government elections, a high participation rate was important to ensure the collective view of the whole community was represented. “I strongly encourage everyone who lives in the Shire or has a property interest in the local government area to enrol to vote in the upcoming election,” she said. “We have traditionally had very strong participation rates and we would like to further improve those figures this year.” Any applications to be included on the roll must be received by COB on Friday 27 August 2021.  All electors will be posted a voting package which includes the ballot papers and voting instructions. If you don't complete a postal vote, you may vote in person on the election day Saturday 16 October 2021.  Read more about the Shire of Augusta Margaret River's local government election online.