Victorian councils to have postal votes for election on October 24, 2020

The state local government elections will take place on October 24, using "safe and secure" postal voting.

Local government minister Adem Somyurek said people had a right to a democratic say on who represented them at all levels of government.

"By making every vote a postal vote, we're ensuring this vital democratic process is conducted in a safe manner that also allows for the participation of more voters," he said.

Longer candidate statements would be allowed in Victorian Electoral Commission Voter Information packs, in recognition of the COVID-19 conditions.

This will be the first time postal voting has been used across all Victorian councils, following changes introduced to the Local Government Act 2020 that requires a statewide and uniform approach to voting.

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The chief health officer has advised it is safe for the postal election to proceed.

The state government has invested $50,000 to encourage women to run for council at the 2020 election to help support gender equality goals.

This is in addition to $87,000 invested to increase overall diversity among councillors.

Mr Somyurek said he had sought advice to inform ministerial guidelines to ensure councils provided more flexibility to support and encourage more women and carers to serve as councillors.

This year's council elections are set to be state's biggest ever, with more than 4.5 million voters enrolled and more than 2000 candidates likely to contest.

The Victorian Electoral Commission is responsible for running all council elections and will outline the relevant matters for candidates and voters.

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