| Victorian Electoral Commission | |
|---|---|
| Agency overview | |
| Preceding agency | State Electoral Office |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Victoria |
| Agency executive | Mr Steve Tully, Electoral Commissioner |
| Website | |
| www.vec.vic.gov.au | |
The Victorian Electoral Commission (formerly State Electoral Office), or VEC, is the government agency responsible for the running of state, municipal and various non-government elections in Victoria.
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Although it is an independent agency, the Commission falls under the Department of Justice umbrella. The Commission head office is located on level 11, 530 Collins Street, Melbourne, although during the state election there may be as many as sixty offices established around Victoria.
The Victorian Electoral Commission is subject to oversight by the Victorian State Parliament Electoral Matters Committee which regularly holds inquiries into the conduct of public elections and associated matters in Victoria.
The primary function of the VEC is to conduct Victorian state elections, the last of which was held on Saturday, 27 November 2010. Prior to 2006, Victorian parliamentary elections could be held any time at the discretion of the government in the last year of their four year term of office. This has meant that, in practice, the average period between elections had been somewhat less than the maximum four years. From 2006 the Victorian Parliament has fixed terms with the election being held every fourth year on the last Saturday in November. The next Victorian State Government election is scheduled to be held in Saturday 29 November 2014.[1]
At the 2010 election, the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) used mapping software to better predict the number of voters likely to attend each polling place in an effort to reduce queues.[2]
Municipal, or local government, elections are conducted by the VEC in Victoria. Previously there was a system of competitive tendering between the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) and the VEC, but the AEC withdrew. The VEC still submits tenders to each council to run the municipal elections. The most recent batch of municipal elections were held in November 2008.
Private organisations also hire the VEC to conduct elections for them. These may include board elections.
In some municipalities (e.g. City of Whitehorse, City of Boroondara) there are areas which require approval of residents for a liquor licence to be granted. In such circumstances the VEC conducts these polls.
The VEC has its own Electoral Enrolment Branch which is responsible for maintaining the State Electoral Roll. Unlike all other states (with the exception of Western Australia), the VEC maintains its own roll rather than depending on the Commonwealth roll as maintained by the AEC. The VEC still receives updates from the AEC to ensure that the Commonwealth and Victorian rolls mirror each other.
The VEC conducts several promotional programs to ensure that electors update their information by filling in Electoral Enrolment Forms when their details change.
The VEC assists the Electoral Boundaries Commission in redistributing state electoral boundaries from time to time. It also performs similar tasks in relation to local government.