Central Highlands Regional Council by-election
A by-election is being held to elect a new councillor in Central Highlands Regional Council.
Election day is Saturday 16 May 2026.
View the notice of election.
View the election timetable.
Voting is compulsory.
Quick links
The timetable for the by-election is set in accordance with the Local Government Electoral Act 2011. The election period began following the publication of the notice of election.
- Notice of election – Tuesday 14 April 2026
- Candidate nominations – Tuesday 14 April to 12pm on Thursday 23 April 2026
- Close of electoral roll — Monday 20 April at 7pm
- Election day – Saturday 16 May 2026
- Postal vote completion deadline – Saturday 16 May 2026 at 6pm
- Postal vote return deadline – Tuesday 26 May 2026
Nominations close at 12pm on Thursday 23 April 2026.
More information:
- Fact sheet 1 – Eligibility to become a candidate in local government elections PDF (0.21 MB)
- Fact sheet 2 – Nominating as a candidate for local government elections PDF (0.25 MB)
- Form 5 LGA - Nomination form (endorsed) PDF (0.69 MB)
- Form 6 LGA - Nomination form (non-endorsed) PDF (0.66 MB)
All candidates must complete the free training course So you want to be a councillor? conducted by the Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers.
This course must be completed within 6 months of nominating which means if you already completed the course before nominating for the March 2024 local government elections, you will need to retake it and get a new certificate of completion unless you are a sitting local government councillor or mayor.
The course is fully online and will take about 90 minutes to complete. After finishing the training, you will want to download your certificate of completion. The certificate contains a reference number that must be included on your nomination form.
In person
Remember to bring your maroon voter information card or email reminder with you for quicker voting.
Early voting
Early voting is available 9am to 6pm weekdays from Tuesday 5 May to Friday 15 May 2026.
Our early voting centre is Wally McKenzie House, Emerald Show Grounds
Election day voting
Election day is Saturday 16 May 2026. Polling places are open from 8am to 6pm across the local government area.
The list of polling places is posted on our website.
Postal voting
You can request a postal vote now.
The deadline for requesting a postal vote is 7pm on Monday 4 May 2026.
Find out more about how to complete a postal vote and watch a short video.
You needed to complete your vote by 6pm Saturday 16 May 2026.
The ECQ had to receive it by 6pm Tuesday 26 May 2026 so your vote can be counted.
Help with voting
- We have information to help you vote.
- You can check how accessible voting places are by using Find my polling booth.
Other ways to vote
- If it is hard for you to vote in person on election day, you can:
- vote early
- vote by post.
- You can request a postal vote now.
- The deadline to request a postal vote is 7pm, Monday 4 May 2026.
- You can learn about postal voting and watch a short video on the postal voting page.
Early voting centre
- The early voting centre is at Wally McKenzie House, Emerald Show Grounds.
- It is open weekdays from Tuesday 5 May to Friday 15 May 2026.
- Opening hours are 9am to 6pm.
Voting in other languages
Name: Brett McInnes
Office address: Wally McKenzie House, Emerald Show Grounds
Contact number/s: 0408 243 733 or 0422 848 442