Council Elections

Elections 2017

Can you vote?

Residents

You are automatically enrolled to vote if you are on the State Electoral Roll as at 5pm, Friday 1 September 2017.

If you are unsure if you are enrolled to vote check your enrolment on the State Electoral Roll at the Western Australian Electoral Commissions website by clicking here or calling 13 63 06.

You are eligible to vote at State Elections if:

• You are 18 years of age or older; and
• You are an Australian Citizen; and
• You have lived at your present address for at least the last month.

If you are not on the State Electoral Roll but meet the eligibility criteria, or if you have changed address recently you must register or update your details by any of the following methods:

Online

• Australian Electoral Commission (AEC)

In Person or Telephone

• Australian Electoral Commission or Western Australia Electoral Commission;
• Australia Post;
• Centrelink; or
• City of Armadale Administration Centre, 7 Orchard Avenue, Armadale (see map below)

Non Residents (Owners and Occupiers)

If you are a non-resident owner or occupier of rateable property in the City of Armadale and are on the State or Commonwealth Electoral Roll, you are eligible to enrol to vote in certain situations:

• Owners of land who were on the last roll continue to retain that status until they cease to own the rateable property to which the enrolment relates.
• Occupiers do not have continuous enrolment and should contact the City of Armadale to confirm their enrolment status. To be eligible to enrol as an occupier, you will need to have a right of continuous occupation under a lease, tenancy agreement or other legal instrument for at least the next three (3) months following the date of the application to enrol.

If you are not on the State or Commonwealth Electoral Roll and own or occupy rateable property in the City of Armadale, you may be eligible to enrol to vote. This applies if you were on the City of Armadale’s last electoral roll prior to May 1996 and have owned or occupied rateable property in the district continuously since this time.

If you wish to check your enrolment on the City of Armadale's owners and occupiers roll please contact the City's Rates team on 9394 5000, by email info@armadale.wa.gov.au or in person at the City's Administration Centre, 7 Orchard Avenue Armadale.

To apply as a non-resident Owner / Occupier you will need to complete and submit one of the following enrolment eligibility claim forms (See document list to the right)

• Owners and Occupiers
• Multi-owners
• Corporations

Enrolment eligibility claim forms must be received by the Chief Executive Officer by 5pm Friday 25 August 2017 to allow sufficient time for processing before the close of rolls on 1 September 2017.

Additional Information

Joint Owners/Occupiers

If a rateable property is owned or occupied by more than two people, a majority of the owners/occupiers may nominate two persons from amongst themselves who are on either the State or Commonwealth Electoral Roll to enrol as owner/occupier electors.

Corporations

A body corporate that owns or occupies rateable property in the City may nominate two people who are either on the State or Commonwealth Electoral Roll to enrol as nominees on the City's Owners and Occupiers Roll. For Corporations that own multiple properties in different wards only the same two nominees can vote in each ward.

When Nominations open

Nominations to become a candidate in the 2017 City of Armadale Local Government Election officially open Thursday 7 September 2017 and close Thursday 14 September 2017 4pm sharp.

There are seven Councillor Vacancies – one each in the Heron, Hills (Previously Jarrah), Lake, Minnawarra, Ranford (Previously Neerigen), Palomino and River Wards.

Potential candidates will be able to visit the WAEC website during nomination week and pre-fill their nomination profile using the 'Nomination Builder'. A range of mandatory forms are also available to download and will be required when nominees meet with the Returning Officer.

Once nominations open all applications must be in the prescribed form and be lodged with the Returning Officer. The Returning Officer will be available at the City’s main Administration Centre, 7 Orchard Avenue Armadale at dates and times to be scheduled.

Candidate profiles will be made available online from 7 September 2017.

Close of Nominations

Once nominations close at 4pm on 14 September 2017 the Returning Officer will begin the process of drawing each candidate's name in order to determine the order their name will appear on the ballot paper.

This draw will take place shortly after nominations close within the Function Room on the first floor of the City’s Administration Centre, 7 Orchard Avenue Armadale with all candidates and members of the public welcome to observe the process.

Armadale Council

The City of Armadale Council comprises of 14 Councillors, including the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, who are elected to serve the Armadale district.

The City is divided into seven wards with two Councillors representing each ward for a four year term. Further detail on wards is available here.

Council Elections are held every two years with voting voluntary.

The vote count is conducted on either an in-person or postal basis, a decision which rests with each Council and which occurs every two years in the lead up to Election Day.

For postal elections, the Western Australian Electoral Commission is responsible for the conduct of the election including the appointment of the Returning Officer.

For in-person elections, the City is responsible for the conduct of the election with the Returning Officer being the Chief Executive Officer.

The City of Armadale's Elections are conducted as a postal election, a practice which Council has followed since the inception of postal elections in 1996.

Further Information

Further information about local government elections and the role of a Councillor can be obtained from:

• The Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries
• The Western Australian Electoral Commission
• The City of Armadale on 9394 5000 or email us at info@armadale.wa.gov.au