Nominating for Council

Who can be a candidate?

Under the Local Government Act 1995, to be eligible to nominate as a candidate for a local government election, the candidate must be:

• an elector of the district (residential or owner/occupier) and
• over 18 years of age.
• Not disqualified by anything below.

A person cannot nominate to be a candidate nor remain a councillor if they:

• are a member of State or Federal Parliament
• are a member of the council of another local government
• are an insolvent under administration
• are in prison serving a sentence for a crime
• have been convicted of a serious local government offence within the last five years (unless the court waived the disqualification)
• have been convicted on indictment of an offence for which the indictable penalty was, or included:
  • imprisonment for life, or
  • imprisonment for more than five years
• are subject to a court order disqualifying them from being a member of a council because they have misapplied local government funds or property
• are a nominee of a body corporate
• propose standing for two positions on council (unless standing for mayor or president as well as councillor)
• are currently disqualified by the State Administrative Tribunal from holding office as a member of a council.

Before nominating, all candidates must complete an online induction via the Department of Local Government, Sport & Cultural Industries.

How to nominate

To nominate as a candidate for a local government election, the candidate must submit an application consisting of:

• a completed nomination form. For elections being run by the WAEC, it is recommended that candidates use Nomination Builder to complete their nomination form and construct their candidate profile.
• a candidate profile which must:
  • be in English
  • be no more than 1000 characters (including spaces)
  • not contain false, defamatory or misleading information
  • fit on an A4 page
  • include the candidate’s full name and contact information
  • a photograph, no larger than passport-sized and taken in the last six months (optional).
• a deposit of $100

Candidates may also provide a written statement in English, of up to 2,000 characters (including spaces) with their nomination paper (optional).

All nomination applications must be signed by the candidate in front of a witness.

The nomination application must be submitted to the Returning Officer during the nomination period (31 August - 4 pm, 7 September 2023).

As the Returning Officer may ask candidates to amend their nomination, it is recommended that candidates ensure they have allowed sufficient time to finalise any required changes before the close of nominations.

More information

Additional information for candidates can be found on the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries website.

Returning Officers

Returning Officers are responsible for the conduct of an election, including the nominations process. They are usually the first point of contact for any enquires relating to the election.

Authorisation of election campaign material

A common area or concern for some candidates relates to the authorisation of election campaign material. It is important to note that any material “that is intended, calculated or likely to affect voting in an election” is required to be authorised.

The requirements relating to the authorisation of election material apply irrespective of who is publishing the material and whether it is in printed or electronic form.

Any electoral advertisement, handbill, pamphlet or electoral notice (other than an advertisement in a newspaper announcing the holding of a meeting), letter or article must include the name and physical street address (not a PO Box number) of the person authorising it, at the foot of the material. If the material is printed in hard copy, then it must also include the name and place of business of the printer at the foot of the material. This applies unless the advertisement is in a newspaper (in which case the printer is obvious and contactable).

If election material is produced and printed by the one person (eg. using a home computer and printer), then the legislative provisions are satisfied by adding ‘Authorised and printed by (name), (address)’ at the foot of the material.

Certain small items of a candidate or party promotional nature are exempt from the requirement to carry the authorisation and addresses. These include:

• T-shirts, lapel buttons, lapel badges, pens, pencils or balloons
• Business or visiting cards that promote the candidacy of any person in an election.

Disclosures

Candidates have a duty of disclosure of electoral donations. Candidates and donors are required to disclose any electoral related gifts promised or received within the six months prior to polling day.

All queries should be directed to the local government’s Chief Executive Officer.