Council Elections

2025 Local Government Election

Important dates:

  • WALGA Candidate Information Webinar: 6pm, Monday, 18 August 2025 Register here for webinar
  • Close of Roll: 5pm, Friday, 22 August 2025.
  • Nominations Open: Thursday, 28 August 2025.
  • Nominations Close: 4pm, Thursday, 4 September 2025.
  • Ballot Draw: 4pm, Thursday, 4 September 2025.
  • Postal Vote Mail-out: Friday, 12 September 2025 (via Australia Post).
  • Close of Poll: 6pm, Saturday, 18 October 2025.

Nominations:

Who can nominate?

To be eligible, candidates must:

  • Be an elector of the district (resident or owner/occupier).
  • Be 18 years of age or older.
  • Not be disqualified.

Before nominating:

All candidates must complete the Mandatory online induction (Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety website).
To nominate, you’ll need:

Need help?

Contact the Western Australian Electoral Commission's Returning Officer, Christine Elliott on 0428 209 878.

Vacancies:

  • 6 vacancies total:
    • 5 positions for 4-year terms.
    • 1 position for a 2-year term.
  • Note: If a vacancy occurs within 6 months post-election, it may be filled by the next highest polling candidate.

Voting system:

  • The election uses Optional Preferential Voting (Schedule 4.1 of the Local Government Act).
  • Voters must mark at least a first preference (1).
  • Additional preferences are optional but must be numbered consecutively.

Campaign expenses:

Did you know?

Local government elections are held on the third Saturday in October every two years. The next election will be held in October 2025.

The Shire of Dardanup holds postal elections, which are conducted on its behalf by the  Western Australian Electoral Commission.

Past elections:

For details and results in prior elections, please refer: Local Government Elections | Western Australian Electoral Commission

Electoral Gift Register:

Under Local Government (Elections) Regulations 1997, gifts received by candidates must be declared to the CEO and published on a register made available on the local government's website. 

Electoral Gift Register